Silent Pain
by King Disen
Summary: The tenth boss for the Vongola Mafia family was chosen, Tsunayoshi Sawada. However very little is known about the boy and Reborn hates going in blind. He decides to scoot out his target only to find a broken child. Reborn sure had his work cut out for him. I do not own Hitman Reborn.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: This is my first time attempting a story like this so feedback would be much appreciated. Also if you a a big fan of Hitman Reborn then you should check out my other fanfic Soul Reborn. And if you're looking for something a little cheerier then that is also a good choice as well as my other other fanfic Kenichi: The Fallen Child. Thank you.

Chapter 1

It took time but the ninth boss of the Vongola, made his decision for his successor. He chose a mysterious boy named Tsunayoshi Sawada, the son of the former head of the CEDEF, Iemitsu Sawada. The boy's childhood was well documented up until the age of six and he seemed to live a relatively normal life. However there wasn't much know about his life at this point in time other than he was fourteen and living with his mother. It was a mystery why Nono chose him. When asked, all he said was that he had a feeling. It my seem odd, but no one questioned the Vongola hyper intuition.

The world's greatest hitman, Reborn, was hired to teach and train the boy to be the Vongola Decimo. Reborn looked like an infant, due to a curse that transformed his body into that of one, though he retained a good portion of his strength. Reborn hated going into missions blind and dug up as much as he could on the boy. All he found were school, medical, and fractured public records. His grades were terrible and there was almost nothing in his medical records. This annoyed Reborn to no end. He had to figure out the most effective way to teach this kid and had nothing to go on. He decided to do what any hitman would do in this situation, scoot out the target.

He arrived in Namimori, Japan wearing his black suit and fedora, with a chameleon resting on it, and headed to the boy's home address. When he got there, something was off. The house was in decent condition, but there was a for sale sign in the front. 'Are they moving?' Reborn thought. Even with the few records reborn found, he know that Tsunayoshi was still in Namimori. Reborn decided to investigate further. He could have knocked on the door, but then he'd have to introduce himself and it might interrupt the normal order of the boy's life. Reborn had to see how the boy acted normally before interfering. Still this was no obstacle for the world's greatest hitman. He made his way over to a window and picked the lock open. He went inside and the place seemed lifeless. The was no sign of any messes, and the trash cans were empty. Reborn checked the closets, but they were also empty. He made his way to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. Just like everything else, not only was it empty but spotless. He also noticed that it was unplugged. 'Did I get the wrong address?' Reborn thought. It was improbable, but not impossible.

He looked at the time and figured that he should check the school, as the boy's classes were about to start. He reach the school and climbed up a tree till he saw a boy that matched Tsunayoshi's description through the window. 'Fluffy brown hair, check,' Reborn thought. 'Brown eyes, check.' He held his hand to his fedora and the chameleon transformed into a pair of green binoculars. He looked through them to get a better look at the boy. He was dangerously thin and his were clothes were ragged and covered in dirt. 'Is it possible that his mother is abusing him?' Reborn thought. It seemed unlikely considering the reports of Tsunayoshi's childhood, but people do change.

"Tsunayoshi Sawada?" the teacher called out. Reborn was surprised to see the boy raise his hand instead of say here like the rest of the students. The teacher sighed and moved on. Tsuna then turned and looked in Reborn's direction and Reborn ducked out of view.

'He's got good instincts,' he thought. He continued to watch as the boy made his way through the day. The boy clumsily tripped occasionally and was constantly mocked by the other students, mostly calling him Dame Tsuna. The boy reached math class and the teacher wrote a problem on the board.

"Okay, who would like to solve this?" the teacher asked and looked around the room. She suddenly gave a devious smile. "How about you Tsuna? Tell us the answer."

The boy slowly looked up, then back in the direction of Reborn, then to the problem. He sluggishly got up and walked up the the board as the other students laughed. Reborn was curious to why the boy got up to begin with though. Tsuna picked up a piece of chalk and quickly wrote a number on the board before walking back to his set.

"Not even close," The teacher said. "Did you even try, or did you just write a random number down?" Tsuna just stared blankly at his desk. The teacher smiled. "I don't even know why I bother."

'Obviously because you get a kick out of it,' Reborn thought and couldn't wait to bring Tsuna's grades up just to see the look on her face.

The class broke into laughter and the teacher made no attempts to quiet it down. "That's Dame Tsuna for you!"

Reborn continued to watch the boy as the lunch bell rang. Tsuna got up and headed for the door empty handed, as a few of his classmates got up to follow him. "Where do you think you're going Dame Tsuna?" The boy didn't answer and kept walking. "If you keep walking you know what will happen." He kept going and the other boy grunted and returned to the room. Tsuna kept going until he reached the roof. He walked over to the edge and looked down before sitting down just a few inches from it. Reborn watched the boy just sit there, occasionally looking in his direction, the entirety of his lunch. Reborn realized that the boy wasn't going to eat anything and noted that he was going to have to have a... talk... with his mother. Even so, Reborn wondered why Tsuna came all the way up here to begin with. Then he noticed the other boy napping on the corner of the roof. This boy had a dangerous aura around him and Reborn figured that Tsuna came up here to avoid the bullies.

The day continued and the boy never utter a word. Reborn was beginning to wonder if he was mute, but according to his childhood records, he was perfectly talkative. 'Maybe there was an accident,' Reborn thought. No, that was impossible. Reborn already went through all of Tsuna's medical records, and there was no record of such an accident. The day ended and the students shuffled out of the classroom. Tsuna was the last to leave, but his way was blocked by the same bullies from before.

"I told you to stop walking. You had some gall ignoring me. What do you have to say for yourself?" Tsuna remanded silent. "Say something!" The bully punched Tsuna in the face, knocking him to the ground. "Well! Spit it out!" Before Tsuna could get up, the bully kicked him in the stomach. "Don't you have something to say!?" The other bullies joined in on kicking the downed child. After a minute that seemed like an hour, they stopped kicking Tsuna and the leader picked Tsuna up by the shirt collar. "Give me the money you owe me, and we'll call it a day." Tsuna still didn't say a word, but reached into both pockets and turned them inside out to demonstrate that he had no money. "Still!" The bully punched Tsuna so hard that he crashed into the wall. "First you stop bringing money, but now you won't even bring lunches, even after I offered to accept that as payment instead! You're two years behind on your payments!" He grabbed Tsuna by the shirt collar again and began dragging him further into the school. Reborn followed at a safe distance as not to be noticed. They dragged Tsuna to the janitor's closet and threw him in, locking the door behind him. "Why dont you stay in there and think about what happened, and what will happen if I don't get my money!" The bullies snickered as they left.

Reborn was trying to see a day of this boy's life uninterfered, but he also needed to figure out where he lived and was not patient enough to wait for someone to find the boy. Reborn made his way over to the door and picked the lock. Afterwards, he slowly opened the door, making sure to stay out of sight. The boy walked out with a look of shock and fear. He cautiously looked around before settling his sight in Reborn's direction. After a few seconds of staring, the boy started walking towards the school exit. As he walked through the halls, he jumped at nearly every noise he heard and occasionally turned back in Reborn's direction. The hitman was surprised at how hard it was to say out of this fourteen year old's sight.

It was only after they made it out of the school that the boy seemed to calm down, although he didn't drop his guard. Reborn discreetly followed him through the streets until he stopped in front of a decent sized house, definitely not a house that someone that had a reasonable excuse for why the boy was in such a bad condition could live in. The boy walked up to the front door and lifted his hand to knock. However, he hesitated, as if he was debating whether or not to do it. He started to shake, seemingly terrified. Even so, he eventually knocked on the door.

The door opened and a women that did not match the description of Tsuna's mother answered. "Home on time for once," she said in a harsh tone that was full of disgust. "Get in and make dinner. We can actually eat at a reasonable time for a change. The boy followed the woman inside and headed for the kitchen. Once in there he tripped and fell over, inplanting his face into the floor, when man came over.

"What are you doing!?" he said. "Get up and make dinner!" The boy picked himself up off the floor and did as he was told. Reborn's fedora cast a shadow over his eyes. No matter where this boy went, abuse wasn't far behind.

The boy finished making dinner and put two plates on the table. "About time," the women said as she took a seat. The man took his seat and the two grabbed the plates. Tsuna just stood there silently. Not only did he not attempt to take any food, but he didn't even try to sit down. After the two finished eating they left without a word and Tsuna went back into the kitchen to grab a piece of toast before heading up the stairs.

Reborn wasn't done. He wanted to observe the boy for one more day, after all, this couldn't be an average day in his life... right? The next day went almost exactly the same, except Reborn didn't let the boy out when he was locked in the closet. Hours passed before the janitor came and unlocked the door. "It's you again," he said harshly, clearly frustrated. "Seriously, who keeps puing you in here." The boy looked at the ground and the janitor goared and massage his temple. "Just get going. I have a job to do." The boy gave a slight bow in gratitude before leaving. "Yeah, sure, you're welcome and whatnot."

Once the boy reached the house he had the same hesitation as the day before, but this time the door opened before he knocked. "You're late!" the woman yelled and dragged the boy in by the shirt collar before throwing him on the floor. "We told you that we have an important meeting tomorrow!"

The man came in. "We couldn't wait all night!" he immediately screamed at the boy. "We had to make dinner ourselves!"

'The horror' Reborn thought.

The man picked up the boy and then punched him back to the floor. Reborn had seen just about enough. Fortunately, he knew just the way to teach these two some manners. He lifted his hand in front of the chameleon he has named Leon, and it transformed into a green gun. He loaded a dying will bullet, a special bullet that brings the you back to life after killing you to carry out your dying regret. Once the effect wears off, you are returned to normal without so much as a bullet wound to show for it. Well there was the one problem that it destroys the cloths you are wearing, save for the underwear, but the boy's clothes wear so far gone there was no fixing them anyway. He took aim at the boy as he got off the ground, and that's when he saw it, the boy's cold, lifeless eyes. The chameleon transformed back and continued resting on his fedora. The dying will bullet wouldn't do any good, as this boy would have no dying regrets. On the contrary, he'd welcome death, as he was all but dead already. It was a miracle that he didn't kill himself.

"This is what we get after taking you in!" the woman screamed. The man grabbed the boy by the shirt collar and lifted him straight off the ground. He carried him up the stairs and threw him into a room before looking the door.

"Stay in there and think about what you've done!" the man yelled so loud that it echoed throughout the entier neighborhood.

Reborn went up to the door and didn't even bother knocking, there would be no reasoning with those two. He snuck into the house, made his way to Tsuna's room and picked the lock. He then entered the room and relocked it from the other side. Reborn finally turned around to see the boy shivering in fear. "I'm not here to hurt you," Reborn said.

The boy looked at him confused, as if the phase was spoken in an alien language, but still refused to say a word. Reborn was prepared for that however. He took out a notepad and a pen and tossed them over to the boy, who immediately picked them up and started writing something down. _Why are you following me?_

Needless to say, Reborn was impressed. He knew the boy was aware he was being followed, but the fact that he knew it was him put him a step above even some of the professionals Reborn knew. "I've been hired to tutor you," he said, thinking it best to leave the mafia business for latter. The boy turned his pockets inside out. "I've already been paid for." The boy looked shocked and was trying to figure out by who, and then a look of horror covered his face. He backed up against the wall, shivering like it was fifty degrees below freezing. "It wasn't those two," Reborn said implying the man and woman in the house. He figure that was the conclusion the boy came to. The boy relaxed so much that he collapsed onto the floor. He then started to write something else.

 _You don't look like a tutor._

"What, am I too young?"

 _No. Too dangerous._ This boy was full of surprises. He was the first one he ever met the knew from a glance that he wasn't an ordinary infant. _You're not really an infant, are you?_

Reborn smiled. "No, well I didn't use to be." The boy nodded. "What happened to your mother?"

 _Gone._

Reborn looked shocked. How'd he not find out about that. "When?"

 _Two years ago._ Reborn cursed under his breath. He swore that if Iemitsu was still alive he'd shoot him. _You know my father, don't you?_

"Yes,"

 _Where is he?_

"Dead."

The boy seemed almost unphased by the news, although he seemed to be hiding his face. _When?_

"About two months ago." The boy's lips twitched upwards. "So those two are your legal guardians?" the boy nodded and Reborn cursed. "One day I'll show you real guardians." The boy just shook his head like Reborn was being naiveand Reborn had just about enough of this. "Why don't you talk?"

 _Because no one will listen._ Reborn had to use every once of his strength to avoid losing composure. If he didn't have to keep a low profile in the town he would have killed both of those would-be guardians. _Do me a favor._

"What?"

 _Kill me._

Reborn's fedora cast a heavy shadow over his eyes. He would have kicked the boy's face in if it wasn't for his frail body. Leon morphed into a gun and the boy stared at it longingly. Reborn aimed the gun at the boy and fired it inches from his leg. "Ask that again and you'll never feel the sweat relief of death!" The boy looked disappointed. "If you want to die that bad, then why haven't you done it yourself!"

 _Because I can't find the strength._

Reborn let out a sigh of relief. At least he didn't have to worry about the boy killing himself. Suddenly there was a rattling sound behind them. The door unlocked and opened. "What's with the racket in here you bra…" the woman screamed before stopping short as Reborn cocked the gun and pointed it at her.

"Honey what's wrong?" the man said as he came over to the room. The two looked down to see Reborn. Then they turned back to the boy full of rage. "You dare threaten us!" They started walking towards him.

"And you couldn't even do it yourself!" the woman said. "You got an infant to point a toy gun at us!" The boy violently shook his head as he backed further against the wall. Reborn figured they weren't very bright. After all, if they had any common sense, they know that there was no way for Tsuna to let Reborn in the room. "This is what we get for taking you in out of the kindness of our hearts!" She kicked him. "You useless child!"

The man joined in. "You'll luckey anyone was willing to take someone like you in and this is how you repay us!"

Reborn fired in between the two's heads and they turned around in shock. "This isn't a toy," he said.

"It's real?" the woman said and then the two turned back to the boy.

Reborn fried at the roof. "Eyes on me." he said as he cocked the gun and the two turned back to him. "What's the real reason you took him in?"

"Like I said," the woman said, "it was out of the kind…" She was cut off as Reborn fired another bullet centimeters from her face.

"I said the real reason," Reborn said as he cocked the gun once more.

"I..it was for the money," the man said afraid. "The government gives us money every month to care for him."

Reborn's fedora cast a shadow over his eyes. "And you call this caring for him?"

"What business is it to you how we treat him!?" the woman yelled.

"He's coming with me."

"Hold on," the man said. "Do you really think that you can come in here, wave a gun around and take our money away!? You think that we'll rea…" The man and woman froze and began shivering. Reborn had released a killing aura strong enough to stop even the bravest opponents in their tracks.

"That wasn't a request," he said. "Tsuna will be coming with me and you two will leave as he packs his things. Do I make myself clear?" Reborn lower the strength of the aura in order to allow the two to move, barely. The two nodded and left the room.

"Tsuna, pack your things." The boy just sat there. Reborn sighed and transformed the gun into a whip. He whiped the area next to the boy causing him to jump right off the floor and stare at the whip with unadulterated fear. "Obedience or torture, death is not an option." The boy gave a sigh of relief when Reborn han Leon transform back into a chameleon and began to pack. In truth Reborn did not want to threaten him, but that seemed to be the only thing the boy would respond to. He got an empty box from under his bed and threw some ragged cloths in it. He then grabbed a small photo album and worn a few notebooks that he had hidden under his mattress and put it into the box as well before shutting it. "That's all?" Reborn asked. The boy nodded and Reborn sighed.

"Come on, we're leaving." the two exited the house and Reborn sighed once again. The ninth sure chose a piece of work this time. Reborn definitely had his work cut out for him. This was going to take a while. Step one, get Tsuna to talk.

To Be Continued...


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Something I forgot to mention last time was my usual beta readers are not interested in this story, so I've been doing all the proofreading myself. The point being, expect more mistakes than my other stories. Also I don't normally update my stories so fast. I'm usually a very slow writer, and I'm also working on numerous other fanfictions and a novel. But for the time being this is the story that has my interest. Lastly, to be honest, I have almost no idea where I'm going with this story. I mean I have a rough idea of certain events, but that's all. If you want to give me recommendations, feel free to PM me. Thank you.

Chapter 2

Timoteo, better known as Nono, ninth boss of the Vongola, was filling out paperwork late into the afternoon when his phone rang. "Hello," he said as he answered it.

"Ciaossu," said the voice on the other end.

"Reborn, why are you calling me so soon? And so late? Isn't it almost midnight over there?"

"I need you to arrange a hotel room for me."

"What's a matter, his mother not go for the home tutor thing?"

"She dead."

Nono froze shocked. "W… When?"

"Two years ago."

"I swear if Iemitsu wasn't already dead I'd…"

"I know."

"Doesn't he have any legal guardians?"

There was silence. "No."

It was unnecessary to say more. Timoteo could tell what Reborn meant right away. "I see. I'll arrange something right away."

"We also need to take care of those sorry excuses for human begings."

"Of course."

"And we need to arrange a new guardian for him. The government won't accept an infant. Plus, even though I hat to admit it, I can't handle this situation on my own.

"Do you have any ideas?"

"Yes actually."

* * *

Tsuna awoke in the hotel room. He still couldn't believe that he was free of those two things that called themselves guardians. Not that it mattered. It was only a matter of time before this infant started to do it as well. Either that, or he'd end up with a new so called family that'd start the whole thing over again. He was useless. The only thing he was good for was being punching bag, and punching bags don't need to speak. He got up, got dressed, and prepared himself for another day of school. "Where are you going?" The infant said as he headed towards the door.

Tsuna turned around and tilted his head before fishing out the notepad from his bag. _School._

"You're not going today."

 _Why?_

"We have some legal matters to attend to."

 _Hibari doesn't like it when students skip school._

"I'll make sure he understands. Come with me."

Tsuna followed the infant to a government building. They headed inside and eventually reached a room that had a government official waiting for them. "You must be Tsunayoshi," she said. "Please would you follow me for a second." Tsuna followed her to a tinted window. "Show him." The window went clear and an the other side was the two guardians he just escaped from. His eyes widened in horror and he immediately bolted for the door, but the infant blocked his path. Tsuna turned back towards the two with eyes full of fear. The window went dark again. "It looks like you were right. Thank you for bringing this to our attention Mr. Timoteo.

"You welcome," said an older man with gray hair, brown eyes, and a mustache. "However this is even worse than I had expected. I can't even imagine what they must have done to him."

Tsuna eyes widened when he looked at the old man and he gave a small smile. It was his grandfather. Whenever his deadbeat of a father would finally come for a visit, Tsuna's grandfather would usually come too. Unlike his dad, his grandfather not being around made sense so Tsuna never grew the same resentment to him as he did towards his dad. "Do you recognize me?" Tsuna's grandfather said. Tsuna nodded. "I can't believe it. It's been such a long time." his grandfather gave a warm smile. "Can you tell me what happened? I'd like to help you in any way I can."

There was silence for a moment. "He refuses to talk." the infant told him.

"It's that bad?" the government agent said with a look of horror before regaining composure and clearing her throat. "Well, we looked over your remediation for the new guardian. We do usually like to have two guardians, but it's nice to have someone on such short notice. He also seems to be pretty exceptional, despite his young age. Though his age may turn out to be a benefit, as Tsunayoshi may feel more comfortable with someone closer to his own age. It may help him get over all this. However, we will be sending an agent to check up on him daily. And once we find an appropriate candidate, we will also have him attending weekly therapy appointments. Do I make myself clear?" The Tsuna's grandfather nodded. "Good, now would be a good time to show him to his new home."

The three left. "I have to go Tsuna," Tsuna's grandfather said. "But I'll be sure to come back soon, okay." Tsuna nodded. "Okay Reborn, you can take it from here."

Tsuna looked at the infant and fished out his notebook. _So your name is Reborn?_

"Oh, yes," the infant said. "I can't believe I forgot to introduce myself." Reborn over dramatically cleared his throat "Ciaossu, I am Reborn and I will be your home tutor."

Tsuna just tilted his head. 'Seriously,' he thought.

"Come on, follow me. We shouldn't keep your new guardian waiting."

Tsuna followed Reborn through the streets and came to a very familiar neighborhood. "Here we are," Reborn said. They stopped in front of a house that had a for sale sign cover by a sold sign. Tsuna's eyes widened. It was his old home. The home he shared with his mother. The last place he had happy memories of. "Come inside."

The first thing Tsuna noticed was a man in a suit wearing glasses with black hair, eyes and mustache stocking the refrigerator. "Ignore him for now," Reborn said. "He's just a subordinate."

They continued into the living room and there Tsuna saw a man with blond hair and brown eyes. He wore a green jacket and red shirt that had a tattoo sticking out from behind the collar. He couldn't have been older than twenty-two.

"Ah, you must be Tsunayoshi," the man said. "I'm Dino, and starting today I'm also your new dad. The man in the kitchen is Romario and he's a good friend of mine. It's a pleasure to meet you." Tsuna looked at the man more and saw a whip on his waste. He started shivering and backed up not once taking his eyes off the whip. Dino followed Tsuna line of sight and noticed he was staring at the whip. "Oh, don't worry. This is just for self defence. I'd never use it on you." Tsuna didn't trust those words. A whip as a device for torture, and Tsuna know that all too well. Dino sighed and grabbed the whip. Tsuna froze, and then Dino threw the whip out of reach. Tsuna finally relaxed a bit, at least he was safe for now.

"Okay let's get a few things out of the way," Dino said. "For starters, do you prefer Tsunayoshi, or Tsuna? Or maybe you want me to call you by your last name, Sawada." Tsuna remained silent. It didn't matter. It was only a matter of time before it was 'brat', or 'useless child', so what he was called now had little importance.

"He won't answer," Reborn said.

"Why?" Dino asked. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, but he refuses to speak."

Dino had a face that had a look that was a cross of pity and disappointment. "And I really wanted to hear you voice." Dino shook his head and straighten up, putting his friendly smile back on. "Okay, let's try it this way. Is it okay if I call you Tsuna?" Tsuna nodded. "Okay. Now what do you what for lunch? How about sandwiches?"

Tsuna finally dug out his notepad, knowing his answer would not come up in Dino's yes or no questions. _I'm not hungry._

"You need to eat," Reborn said. "You're way too thin."

 _So what?_

"It's not healthy," Dino said.

 _And why do you care?_

"Because I'm your new dad!"

"And I'm your tutor," Reborn said. "I can't help you with anything athletic in this condition." Tsuna sighed. "Dino, he'll need something easy to swallow. Make some soup."

"Okay," Dino said and headed towards the kitchen. However, after only two steps he tripped on air and implanted his face in the floor.

Reborn facepalmed. This was not good for first impressions.

However, Tsuna stared at the man in awe and began writing something on his notepad. "Dino look," Reborn said.

Dino looked over and saw Tsuna's notepad. _That happens to you too?_

"Um… occasionally," Dino said.

"Without one of his subordinates, he's even clumsier than you," Reborn said and noticed Tsuna give a slight smile. 'Progress," he thought.

* * *

Tsuna headed towards the door, but was stopped by Dino. "Tsuna, we decided to keep you home from school one more day." Dino said.

Tsuna took out his notepad. _Why?_

"We need to go shopping. Your room needs to be refurnished, and you need some new clothes, as well as a new school uniform. The one you have is beyond saving."

 _Hibari will be mad._

"Don't worry about it," Reborn said. "Nono got a note to excuse your absences"

Tsuna sighed. _Fine._

The first stop they made was to get furniture, as it would take time to be delivered. Still, it wasn't easy getting what they needed. Money was no object, as Dino was the boss of the Chiavarone mafia family, a close ally to the Vongola. Still, Tsuna looked at everything as it was too good for him. It seemed he was afraid that no matter what he choose, it would be taken away from him without warning. Dino made numerous recommendations, but Tsuna just shrugged at each one. It seemed that the decision was between Reborn and him. Dino wanted to spoil Tsuna, as he was sure it was something that the boy hadn't experienced before. However, almost every choice he made was shot down by Reborn, mostly for the reason that it would take up too much space. Eventually they settled on a fairly fancy desk, dresser, bookshelf, and end table, as well as an extremely expensive bed. The bed, however, was the most important, as Tsuna's frail body needed as much comfort to sleep as possible, not to mention the nightmares he's been having. Clothes shopping wasn't much easier. However, through subtle body language, Dino found out that Tsuna was partial to the color orange. Doing his best to read Tsuna's nearly emotionless face, Dino bought alot of outfits he thought Tsuna would like.

The final stop was to the school to see the principal. They need to fill out paperwork regarding Tsuna's change in guardian and address, as well as get Tsuna a new school uniform.

"So, Mr. Dino Cavallone," the principal said, "you're telling me that you're Tsunayoshi Sawada's legal guardian now?"

"Yes," Dino said.

"What about Mr. and Mrs. Durmi?"

"As you can probably see, they weren't treating him right."

The Principal eyed Tsuna for a few seconds, who refused to make eye contact. "Yes, but you seem way too young, you can't expect me to believe that…"

"Here's the certificate." Dino handed the principal some papers. "They thought that he might respond better to someone closer to his age."

The principal looked over the papers and grunted. He muttered something too quiet to hear. Dino, however, was able to make out the words 'not worth it' though. "I need you to fill out these forms." The principal handed Dino his papers back, along with some others.

"One more thing."

"Yes."

"Tsuna needs a new school uniform. As you can see, the one he's got on is beyond saving."

The principal grunted and mumbled something again. Dino was able to hear it all this time. He said, "What a waste of a perfectly good uniform." Dino had to use all his strength to prevent himself from losing composure. The last thing Tsuna needed was another reason for the principal to dislike him.

"How much would it cost to get it replaced?" Dino asked.

The principal smiled. "For the full uniform, one hundred thousand yen." Dino knew that the principal spiked the price to try and get as much off this 'useless child' as he could in order to make it 'less of a waste of a uniform'. Needless to say, Dino was not happy. "What's a matter," the principal said, apparently noticing Dino's mood. "Is that too much?" The principal gave a devious smile and Dino realized that it was worse than he thought. This man wasn't raising the price to get more money. He was trying to prevent Tsuna from getting it.

"Not at all," Dino said with a smirk that would make Reborn proud as he wrote a check.

The principal's face soured. "Thank you." I'll see if I have a uniform that'll fit his small stature.

"We'll be coming with you, just to make sure it fits of course." Dino was sure that if he let the principal go alone, all uniforms that would fit Tsuna would 'mysteriously disappear'. After they got Tsuna's uniform and finished the paperwork, they headed back home just in time for the furniture to arrive. Reborn brought Tsuna to the living room and gave him some soup while Dino and Romario brought the furniture into Tsuna's room. After they finished arranging the furniture, they put away Tsuna's clothes. When going through Tsuna's box of things to see if there was any clothes worth saving, Dino found a small photo album. He opened it up and saw images of Tsuna with his mother, smiling. If only he could bring out that smile now. These last two years most have been worse than anything anyone could imagine for Tsuna to end up this way. Dino put the photo album on the bookshelf along with the notebooks that were in the box and headed back to the living room, Where Tsuna was staring blankly at a magazine.

"Trying to get him to read something Reborn?" Dino asked.

"Emphasis on trying," Reborn said while massaging his temple. "With that face, I can't tell if he's reading it or sleeping with his eyes open. It doesn't help that he still won't talk."

Dino sighed. "Come on Tsuna. I want to show you your new room." Tsuna blinked and put the magazine down before following Dino back upstairs. "Here you go. Is it to your liking?" Tsuna quietly walked around the room and ran his fingers across the furniture. He then turned around and looked at Dino before giving a small smile and a slight bow. "Are you sure? I can still rearrange it if you want."

Tsuna shook his head and took out his notepad. _It's fine._

"Well that's good to hear. Anyway, it's getting late. Try to get some sleep. If you need anything, anything at all, don't hesitate to ask me. I'll be in the next room over."

* * *

Tsuna looked around his room. He'd never seen such expensive furniture until today, and that's what Dino decided to buy him. He didn't want to get too used to it though, as it would inevitably be taken away. Dino may be clumsy as well, but he must be some kind of major success to be able to throw around that kind of money, and a success was one thing Tsuna would never be. This whole caring family thing was too good to be real. Dino even had a whip, and it was only a matter of time before he used it. Even so, he could at least enjoy it while it lasted, right?

He noticed his photo album on the bookshelf, figuring that Dino must have put it there. He was glad it was okay. He had to hide it from his last 'family' as they would most likely have tone it to shreds. He garbed it off the shelf and started reminiscing of the time he spent with his mom in this very house. His few happy memories. Then a thought occurred. Soon the memories of this house will be tainted by negative ones. When Dino turns on him for being useless, this house too will become a hell hole. He wasn't sure he could take it. Even so, what choice did he have. He just had to try and enjoy the time he had before Dino found out just how useless he was. He would also have to find a new hiding spot for his photo album. If he was lucky, he figured he'd have a mouth. Since he was never lucky, he guessed a week and a half, tops. Even so, a week of having a real home to return to was a paradise to him.

To Be Continued…


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

They kept Tsuna out of school for as long as they could. Reborn wasn't happy about it, but he had to go back. It didn't help that Reborn had legal business to attend to, and Dino would stand out to much to watch Tsuna at school, meaning he was on his own today. And Reborn knew what that meant, lots of abuse, and probably being locked in a broom closet. Reborn decided to pick Tsuna up himself as soon as school got out. He could always continue what he was doing when he got back.

"Okay Tsuna," Reborn said, "make sure to give that note to the principal before you go to class." Tsuna nodded. "And above all, be safe." Tsuna looked down and grabbed one of his bruises. "Would it help if we give you some money to give them?" Tsuna shook his head and Reborn had the feeling that Tsuna tried that before. "Well, just don't forget to eat your lunch." Without any sign of agreement or disagreement, Tsuna left.

"Are you sure he'll be okay?" Dino asked.

"No," Reborn said. "But we don't have much choice in the matter. I'll make sure to follow him tomorrow."

* * *

Tsuna ditched his lunch on his way to school. It wasn't like he would get to eat it anyway. The bullies would just take it as 'payment', and the last thing he needed was for them to think he was capable of bringing lunches now. He hadn't brought a lunch in almost two years, and it was only a matter of time before Dino stopped giving them to him too. It would only make the beatings worse when that time came if the bullies were able to get lunches out of him now.

Tsuna went directly to the principal's office and handed him the note. "What is this," he said harshly. "You want me to excuse your absences?" Tsuna nodded and the principal laughed. "You seemed perfectly fine yesterday, so no. Now get out of my sight you waste of space! You're already late for class!" The principal crumpled up the note and threw it at Tsuna's head.

Tsuna picked up the note and left, feeling hurt. He didn't know why it hurt so much, he was used to this by now. He realized that despite his best efforts, he was enjoying his life at home to much. Tears began to form in his eyes when he thought about how it would soon be gone. "Herbivore," a voice said behind him and Tsuna froze. "Why aren't you in class? And where were you the last two days?" Tsuna stood there unable to move. "Answer or I'll bite you to death." Tsuna turned to see a boy with black hair and gray eyes. He wore the jacket of his uniform on his shoulders without putting his arms through the sleeves and there was an armband that and the words 'Discipline Committee' on it. It was Hibari. Hibari looked Tsuna in the eyes. "And what's wrong with you?"

Tsuna scrambled to get his notepad out of his bag. Hibari looked annoyed as he wrote something down but he didn't interfere. _I was giving the principal a note to excuse my absences._

"My I see the note?" Tsuna nodded and handed Hibari the crumpled up piece of paper. Hibari looked confused as he took it. He uncrumpled it and looked it over, before giving it back. "It checks out." Tsuna looked shocked. "Now, what was wrong and why was that note crumpled up like trash?"

 _The principal didn't accept it._

Hibari's face didn't change from its usual serious self, but he stayed quiet for a few seconds. "Follow me." Tsuna didn't know what Hibari wanted, and wasn't sure he wanted to, but no one disobeys the demon prefect of Namimori.

Hibari lead Tsuna back to the principal's office and Tsuna shivered. Hibari didn't bother knocking and just swung the door open. "H..Hibari!" the principal shouted. "W… what are you doing here?"

Hibari lead Tsuna into the room. "This little animal has been absent the last few days," Hibari said. "He has a note explaining the situation. I hear you have a problem with it. Explain yourself."

"I… well, he was here yesterday and he seemed perfectly fine, so I thought he was just making an excuse."

Hibari turned to Tsuna. "Is this true?"

Tsuna scrabbled to write down the reason on his notepad. _I changed legal guardians recently. My new one wanted to take care of what he called essentials yesterday. That included coming here to register the change in address and stuff._

Hibari turned back to the principal. "This little animal is excused for the last two days of school," he said. "Take care of that while I escort him back to class." He lead Tsuna out of the room and slammed the door shut behind him.

Once they reached Tsuna's classroom, Hibari swung the door open and the class went silent as the two walked in. "This little animal is excused for being late as he had business with the principal," Hibari said and Tsuna took his seat as he left.

The class broke into whispers and the teacher made no attempts to quiet it down. "He's back."

"And here I thought he might have finally died."

"Heh, he should have."

"Is it just me, or is his uniform cleaner than usual?"

"Now that you mention it, it almost looks new."

"Heh, it took two years to get a uniform that was in acceptable condition."

"Alright class," the teacher finally intervened, "I know it's not every day Hibari pays us a visit, but we do have a lesson to get through." Tsuna just stared at his desk. Two days and they already thought he was dead. He almost chuckled. If only, it wasn't like he would be missed.

The day continued on and lunch came around. He headed up to the roof as usual, but the bullies were one step ahead of him. "I see you got a new uniform," the leader said. "I bet you have a lunch to go along with it." Tsuna just shook his head and tried to continue on when he was punched in the stomach. "Who said you can leave!"

"Herbivores," a voice said from behind them.

The all turned around with fear. "Hi...Hibari!"

"For attacking the little animal," Hibari lifted one of his tonfas, "I'll bite you to death!" The bullies tried to run but were cornered. Hibari made short work of them before he came over to Tsuna and held out a hand to help him off the ground. Tsuna didn't take it though, and pushed himself off the ground. Hibari grunted and left.

However Tsuna found himself following Hibari, as they were both heading to the roof. Once there Hibari made his way to the corner where he likes to take his naps. Tsuna on the other hand headed over to the edge of the roof and looked off the step ledge. One step, that's all it would take to end this nightmare forever. He'd be free of this torment he called a life. He'd be able to his see his mom again. He'd be able to rest in piece. But, like always, he faltered, unable to take that last step. He sat down just inches away from the edge, silently hoping that a bully would come by and kick him off.

He spent lunch trying to figure out where to hide his photo album. Reborn already knew he used to hide it under the mattress, so that was out. Maybe he could bury it in the back yard. No, he need it the most when he was locked in his room, and he wouldn't be able to access it there. Maybe he could make a secret compartment in the wall. No he wouldn't be able to put it back together properly to not be noticed. Oh, maybe he he break a hole in the wall behind the bookshelf. No, he wouldn't be able to move that thing on his own. Maybe he could jimmy up a floorboard and hide it under that. No he didn't have the tools for that. The bell rang. Tsuna sighed, not finding a solution in time, and headed back to class.

The rest of the day went by relatively the same as usual. A teacher asked him to answer a question and he just wrote down a random answer to get it over with. The class laughed and called him Dame Tsuna. The teachers made no attempt to help him and then the day finally came to an end. Tsuna knew what that meant. He took a deep breath to prepare himself before heading to the door.

"Hibari's not here to protect you this time," one of the bullies said as they blocked Tsuna's path. "You bought a new school uniform. Do you think I don't know what that means!" He punched Tsuna in the face, causing him to fall down. "You've been holding out on me!" He kicked Tsuna in the stomach. "I want my money!" The other bullies joined in. "You were supposed to pay me every month to stay in this school! But then you stopped! You will bring me your payment tomorrow! Or else!"

'Or else what?' Tsuna thought. 'You'll kill me. Please, end my nightmare. Just do it now.'

* * *

A boy with black hair and brown eyes headed out of the school to see a downpour of rain. "I guess baseball practice is canceled today," he said.

"Hey, Takeshi," another boy called over to him. "Where's your bag?"

"Oh, crap! I must have left it in the classroom! He began to run back into the school. "Thank you."

Takeshi got close to the room when he heard someone talking. "You will bring me your payment tomorrow! Or else!" Takeshi crept towards the room as three boys dragged out another by the shirt color. Takeshi followed them and they threw the boy into the janitor's closet before locking the door. "You can stay in there and think it over."

Takeshi walked over to the door as the others left and tried to jimmy the door open. Once he succeeded the boy looked at him with fear in his eyes. "Don't worry, I'm not here to hurt you," Takeshi told the boy and took a few steps back to let the boy out. The boy slowly walked out of the closet and stared at Takeshi, with fear and mistrust in his eyes. "Anyway, I'm Takeshi Yamamoto. What's your name?" The boy remained silent. "Come on, there's no need to be afraid."

"He's in your class," said a voice to Takeshi's side. Takeshi looked over and saw and infant dressed in a suit. "You really expect me to believe you don't know his name?"

Takeshi gave an embarrassed smile and scratched the back of his head. "To be honest, I sleep through most of the day."

The infant sighed. "Well, he won't answer you anyway."

"Why not?"

"He doesn't speak."

"He's mute?"

"No, he just doesn't speak."

Takeshi looked confused. "You mean he won't speak."

"Yes. I've been doing my best to change that, with little success." The infant sighed again. "Come on Tsuna, Dino's waiting for us."

The boy nodded and followed the infant down the hall. Takeshi wasn't done though. He followed the two and notice that the boy was falling behind. "Hey!" Takeshi head a voice call out. "How'd you get out of there!?"

The boy looked over and started to shiver. He backed up against the wall and the three bullies from earlier showed up. The leader grabbed the boy by the neck and held him against the wall, choking him. "Who let you out!?" The boy struggled to breath. He tried to pry the bully's hand away, and swung his legs, but to no avail. "Well, Dame Tsuna. You will talk this time or I'll kill you!" The boy's eyes widened a bit and he stopped struggling. "Tell me!"

Takeshi ran forwards and kicked the leader between the legs. The bully dropped the boy, who fell to the floor coughing, and grabbed his nether regions. "I let him out!" Takeshi said. "You idiots have a problem with that!?" The two remaining bullies looked at Takeshi angrily. Takeshi took out his baseball bat. "I said, do you have a problem with that!?" The bullies began to falter. Even the toughest kids in school would hesitate to fight a guy with a weapon.

The leader came up from behind Takeshi and stole the bat. "Thanks for the weapon, chump," he said. He swung the bat at Takeshi, who ducked out of the way. The other two came over to attack but Takeshi jumped to the side as the leader swung the bat down again, hitting one of his henchmen over the head. The henchman fell to the ground unconscious.

"You really need to coordinate more," Takeshi said, mocking them. The two remaining bullies growled. The charged at Takeshi and attacked. Takeshi ducked under the bat swing and as he sprung back up he punched the unarmed bully in the face. The bully took exception to that and aimed a punch towards Takeshi's face. Takeshi jumped out of the way and the punch ended up hitting his leader. Takeshi then kicked the leaders arms, which caused him to drop the bat. Takeshi picked it back up and took a fighting stance. "You want to keep going? Because I can keep this up all day."

"You know what?" the leader said. "You're not worth it. You want to hang around Dame Tsuna, be my guess. You won't last long." The two bullies left as the third got back up and ran after them.

* * *

Tsuna fell to the ground and gasped for air. He was so close to getting his wish, but then again, he would have had to go through a few more minutes of torture first. Besides, those bullies were probably bluffing. They'd never actually kill him, at least not in a way they could get caught. He looked up and the boy that let him out of the closet was fighting the bullies. He eventually scared them off and came over to Tsuna. "You okay?" the boy asked and offered a hand to help him up. Tsuna once again ignored the hand hand pushed himself off the ground.

"Tsuna," Reborn said as he came over. "What happened?"

"He was attacked," the boy told Reborn.

"I see, well thanks for your help. Tsuna thank the boy." Tsuna gave a slight bow. "Anyway, we really must be going, so see you another time." Tsuna and Reborn left the boy alone. "Why didn't you let Takeshi help you up?"

Tsuna got out his notepad. _I don't want to get attached to anyone. It only make it harder when they betray you._

A heavy shadow was cast over Reborn's eyes by his fedora. "Does that include Dino and me?"

 _Especially Dino and you._

Reborn looked very angry, but made no action on it. They returned home and a male government agent with dark brown hair and brown eyes was waiting for them. "Tsunayoshi?" he said. Tsuna nodded. "I'm Willem Kmetsch. I'll be watching over you until we feel you'll be safe." Tsuna stayed silent.

"He doesn't talk," Reborn said.

"So I've heard." Willem looked over Tsuna and stopped at his neck. "What happened?" Tsuna looked confused. "There's a bruise on your neck, as if someone was choking you."

Tsuna gave him a look as if it was obvious and took out his notepad. _School._

"What?"

"Some of the bullies got a little overzealous today," Reborn said. "Dino's trying to arrange a change in school for him."

"That does seem like it's for the best."

Tsuna wrote something down. _It won't help._

"You don't know that."

 _Do you really think this it the first school I've been to?_

There was silence. "No but you can't stay there, that's for sure." Willem looked at his watch. "Well I need to report this. I'll see you tomorrow, okay Tsuna?" Tsuna nodded and Willem left.

The three headed inside. "We're home," Reborn called out.

"Oh, just in time," Dino said from the kitchen. "I made soup." He came in and gave a bowl to Tsuna, who looked and it and just stirred it with the spoon. "Come on, you need to eat Tsuna."

Tsuna began to write on his notepad. _I just got back from school. Lunch wasn't that long ago._

"Funny you should mention that," Reborn said. "Look at what I found on the way to pick you up." He held up a small bento box that they gave Tsuna for lunch. Tsuna mentally cursed. Of course he'd find it. "Why did you abandon you lunch. You need to eat."

 _The bullies would have just taken it anyway._

Reborn thought about that. "That is a problem. But that doesn't change the fact that you need to eat." Tsuna sighed and started eating the soup.

* * *

After Tsuna finished eating, he headed straight up the his room, where Reborn waiting. "I've arranged a test to see you current level. I want you to complete it. Let's start with math." Tsuna walked over to his desk and sat down. Reborn put the paper on the desk and Tsuna answered every question in a second. After Tsuna handed it back, Reborn looked it over. Every single answer was wrong. Incredible wrong. In fact they were so far off that it was almost like Tsuna was trying to get them wrong. "Tsuna, you didn't even try." Tsuna just sat there quietly. "Come on Tsuna, at least try and answer them."

Tsuna took out his notepad. _What does it matter?_

"What will it take to get you to try?"

 _You know what I want._

Reborn lost it. "I told you never to ask that again!"

 _It doesn't matter. Torture me now for disobeying you, or latter for existing. One way or another, my life will become hell. I've always been useless._

"I'm here to tutor you and I've already been paid for haven't I? Obviously, someone out there disagrees with you." Tsuna shook his head. "Look, I'll give you a new notepad and a journal to write in. Will that get you to try?"

Tsuna sighed. _Whatever gets this over with._ Reborn handed him another sheet with the same problems. Tsuna went through it quickly, though not quite as quick as before. Reborn sighed as Tsuna handed him the sheet. It seem that no matter what he did, Tsuna wasn't going to try. Reborn looked over the sheet and froze. "W..what?" Every answer was correct. Sure they were below his grade level, but they weren't easy questions either. And Tsuna's grades were terrible since he was a child. To get every answer correct, and so quickly, it was unheard of. "Tsuna, why are your grades so bad?"

 _Good grades, bad grades, both lead to attention, and attention leads to pain. It doesn't matter what my grades are like, but one take alot less effort._

Reborn got annoyed, but something told him that Tsuna was speaking from experience. "We'll stop here for toady. Try and enjoy yourself. I'll let you know when dinner's ready."

Reborn left Tsuna's room and went to see Dino. "He's not as stupid as he leads others to believe. He could probably ace his tests if he actually tried."

"I feel so bad for him. Even without your spartan training, he's still afraid we'll turn and attack him any minute."

"I know. There's a fat chance anything will happen until we get him to trust us. I can't train him like I did you. You two may be similar, but you weren't suicidal."

"Those marks on his neck, were they…"

"Some bullies got angry when they saw him out of the broom closet. They strangled him and demanded to know who let him out."

"Did they find out it was you?"

"It wasn't me. One of his classmates beat me to it. He even fought the bullies to protect Tsuna. I think he may be a good rain guardian. He even bares a striking resemblance to the frist's rain guardian."

"Well that's one out of six. Not that it matters. At the rate things are going, we'll never be able to tell him about the mafia."

"I think gathering the guardians might help. Guardian of the Vongola are usually close to their boss. One thing Tsuna needs now is friends. Still it won't be easy. He's afraid to let anyone to close, as he thinks they'll eventually betray him."

Dino sighed. "Well, all we can do is care for him. He'll come around eventually."

To Be Continued...


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Tsuna woke up and got ready for school. He never seemed to sleep in too late, which made things easier for Reborn. Though that may be because Tsuna had trouble sleeping to begin with, which wasn't good for his deteriorating health. It was a given that he wasn't sleeping enough, but he always seemed perfectly active, for someone who didn't want to be alive at least. Reborn and Dino made sure that Tsuna had breakfast before leaving for school. After that, Reborn followed Tsuna to school carrying his lunch.

* * *

Takeshi entered his classroom and looked around. Sure enough, the fluffy brown haired boy from the day before was there, staring blankly at his desk. Takeshi took his seat, which was actually right next to Tsuna, causing Takeshi to wonder how he never noticed the boy before. "Hello again," Takeshi said, but Tsuna made no response. He didn't even move. Takeshi sighed and waited for class to start. He swore that he'd stay awake today to see if he could help Tsuna.

The teacher took attendance and when Tsuna's name was called, Tsuna just rose his hand. It seemed that he really didn't talk. The teacher was visibly annoyed by this, but just sighed and moved on. When math class came around, the teacher called on Tsuna to answer a question. Tsuna got up and walked up to the chalk board. He wrote down a number in no time at all and went back to his seat.

The teacher smiled. "Wrong again Tsuna," she said. "It's a mystery how you even got passed grade school." The class erupted into laughter and Takeshi's face soured. That wasn't funny.

The lunch bell rang and Tsuna left the room. Takeshi got up and followed him while the bullies from the day before did the same. Takeshi grabbed the leader's shoulder and the guy turned around, his face becoming even angrier, if that was possible. "You want a repeat of yesterday?" Takeshi asked condescendingly.

"You think I'm scared of you," the bully said. "Right." The bully looked back at Tsuna and grunted. "He got away thanks to you. Don't think I'll forget this." The bullies went back into the classroom.

Takeshi ran after Tsuna but made sure to stay far enough behind so Tsuna wouldn't notice him. Tsuna kept going until he reached the roof. At that moment Takeshi faltered. Everyone knew that the roof was where Hibari liked to take his naps. It was no wonder why Tsuna ate up there. No bully would ever attack him there if they didn't want to be bitten to death. Takeshi took a deep breath. If he was going to do this, he was going all the way. He opened the door and saw Tsuna right on the edge of the roof, looking down. Takeshi froze. Tsuna couldn't be doing what he thought he was doing, right? After a few seconds, Tsuna sat down just inches away from the edge. Takeshi let out a sigh of relief and walked over to Tsuna. "You doing okay?" he asked.

Tsuna looked at him for a moment, before disappointment flashed in his eyes. Takeshi sat down next to him and noticed he wasn't eating anything. He didn't even see a lunch with Tsuna, not that that meant he didn't have one. It could still be in his bag. "You have anything to eat?" Takeshi asked. Tsuna shook his head. "You want some of my lunch?" He shook his head again.

"Tsuna," said a voice behind them, "I told you that you need to eat." Takeshi turned around to see the infant from the day before. "Takeshi was it? Thank you for the offer, but I have his lunch right here." He held up a bento box and then gave it to Tsuna. Tsuna just stared at it blankly and Reborn gave him a stern look. "Tsuna."

Tsuna sighed before opening the box and beginning to eat as Takeshi decided to get out his lunch and do the same. The two sat in silence as they ate. Takeshi was trying to make conversation, but he couldn't think of anything to say. It was hard to talk to someone who didn't speak.

The lunch bell rang and Tsuna didn't even eat half of his lunch. Reborn sighed. "You'll finish this when you get home," he said and Tsuna looked worried. "Don't worry. I'll hold on to it so the bullies won't know you have it."

"What are you talking about?" Takeshi asked.

"The bullies want either money or lunches as payment. In order to get Tsuna to eat I'll be bringing him lunches at lunch time and taking them with me after it's over."

Takeshi nodded. "Okay, well see you later."

* * *

Reborn watched the rest of the day play out relatively the same as always. When the day came to an end, Takeshi looked over to Tsuna. "Anyway, I got to get to baseball practice, so see you tomorrow," he said. When Takeshi walked out of the room he looked around. "I can't see those bullies, so it should be safe for you to leave." This boy was definitely guardian material.

Tsuna got up and left the room as well, Reborn in tow. As soon as Tsuna turned the corner he came flying back, crashing into the wall. The bullies walked out. "I warned you to bring the money today," the leader said, as he picked up Tsuna and prepared to punch him again. Reborn discharged his gun and the bullies froze at the sound of the gunshot. "What was that?" After a few seconds they shook it off and turned their attention back to Tsuna. "You better have the money today, or I'll beat up so bad you won't be able to walk for a week?" Tsuna sighed and turned his pockets inside out. "Seriously! That's it! You asked for this!" Tsuna squinted his eyes shut and Reborn prepared to step in when someone else spoke up.

"Herbivores." The bullies dropped Tsuna, who fell to the ground, and turned around in horror, faces completely white.

"Hi...Hi...Hibari!" they all shouted.

"For disturbing the peace, attacking the little animal, and interrupting my nap," Hibari lifted his tonfas, "I'll bite you to death." The bullies ran for it, but none escaped. Hibari attacked them relentlessly and left them badly bruised on the ground. "Attack the little animal again, and you won't be able to walk for a week." He walked over to Tsuna and held out a hand to help him up. Tsuna once again ignored it and pushed himself off the ground. Hibari grunted. "If this happens again, you will tell me. I will not tolerate those who break the rules." Hibari walked away and Reborn noted that he would make an excellent cloud guardian. Close enough to Tsuna to want to protect him, but not close enough to let him slide. That made two candidates found out of six. Reborn had chosen someone to be the storm guardian, but at the rate things were going, it would be awhile before he could introduce them. If he did it now, the candidate would most likely kill Tsuna.

Reborn met up with Tsuna and lead him home. "You seem to trust Hibari," Reborn said.

Tsuna took out his notepad. _Hibari doesn't care if you're a person, plant, or punching bag. As long as you don't break the rules, he'll leave you alone._

"Person, plant,...or punching bag? That last one seems out of place."

 _That one is me. It's the only thing I'm good for._

Reborn sighed. It was like they were making no progress at all. The way Tsuna looked at Dino when he tripped, it seemed that he made a connection to Dino, but there was almost no trace of that connection now and he seems just as distant as before. Well it had only been four days since he was taken away from his last family. They would just have to give him more time.

* * *

Hayato was getting impatient. It had almost been a week and Reborn still hadn't called him. When he heard that he was going to Japan, he was ecstatic. He would finally get to see the country his mother was from. He arranged the flight, apartment, and school transfer right away, but he had to keep delaying them because Reborn hadn't called. Reborn said he'd call when the Vongola Decimo candidate was ready to be tested and that it shouldn't take more than a few days. What the hell was a few days to that hitman. Hayato was done waiting. Whether Reborn was ready or not, he was going.

* * *

Tsuna was getting tense. It had been over a week and Dino and Reborn still haven't shown any signs of turning on him. He knew it was coming, but he shoud be out of time already. That morning Reborn told him that he couldn't come with Tsuna to school because he had more business to attend to, but would try to bring him his lunch. He also said if he didn't make it, and if Takeshi offered, to take some of his lunch. Before leaving for school, Dino forced Tsuna to eat breakfast, and Tsuna was getting used to eating bigger meals. Tsuna was not happy about this though. It would only make it harder to readjust to his near starvation diet. He made it to school early, like usual, since he always woke up too early. He sat down and after awhile Takeshi showed up. "Hey Tsuna," he said. "Good morning."

'Stop it,' Tsuna thought. 'I don't need your pity. Pity only lasts so long and once it's gone you'll stop. I can't accept you, so just stop now!'

"Okay class," the teacher said as school began, "I have an announcement today. We have a transfer student." A boy with green eyes and silver hair that was neck long walked into the room and all the girls squealed. "This is Hayato Gokudera, from Italy. Do you have anything to say to the class Hayato?" Hayato just grunted, making the girls squeal even more. "Um, okay, you can sit behind Da… I mean Tsuna. Tsuna, can show yourself to Hayato please." Tsuna raised a hand without looking up. Hayato walked over and stopped in front of Tsuna, looking him over as it to judge him. Hayato eventually grunted and kicked over Tsuna's desk.

"What the hell was that for!?" Takeshi yelled.

"That's not any of your business, punk," Hayato said. "Stay out of it."

"Of course it's my business! You just kicked over the desk of my friend!"

The class erupted into laughter. "Friends, with Dame Tsuna?"

"Please, he's not worth the time!"

"Give it a week, Takeshi will find out. Blame his big heart for not seeing the waste of space for what it is yet."

Hayato turned to Tsuna, who was staring back awestruck. "You're friends?" he asked. Tsuna shook his head and Hayato turned back to Takeshi. "He doesn't seem to think so."

"Well I do!" Takeshi said. "And even if we aren't friends, he's still my classmate! I have the right to be concerned!"

Tsuna just ignored to argument between the two. He was too busy staring at the new boy in awe. He wasn't an average bully. He was dangerous and seemed to have a personal grudge against Tsuna, despite never meeting him before. This boy might actually grant Tsuna his wish.

Reborn didn't make it for lunch, not that Tsuna cared. Takeshi offered some of his food, but Tsuna turned it down. He was getting too used to eating as it was and he couldn't afford to depend on another person.

The rest of the day went the same as usual. After school Takeshi left for baseball practice after checking if the coast was clear for Tsuna. Of course the bullies just waited till Takeshi was out of sight to come out of hiding. There was one difference this time though. Reborn wasn't here. The last few days, Reborn shot off his gun, which scared the bullies off. Not because of the gunshot itself. No, they still didn't know what it was. What they did know was it was loud. And being loud it woke Hibari up from his nap. And no one wanted to be around when Hibari was woken up before he was ready. When Hibari found Tsuna alone and picking up his stuff that always fell on the floor for the first time, he swore that Hibari was going to break every bone in his body for waking him from his nap. However, he just grabbed Tsuna's stuff and threw them over to Tsuna before picking Tsuna up from the back of his shirt's collar, as if he was a kitten, and carried him out of the school. It was an unusual thing for Hibari to do, even if he did call Tsuna a little animal all the time, but Tsuna was never was injured from the ordeal, so he was going to complain with it. However, Reborn wasn't here today to fire his gun, which meant that Hibari wouldn't be coming.

The bullies demanded money, which of course, Tsuna didn't have, not that it would have helped. They attacked, and were much harder on Tsuna than he was used to. It was so bad that he almost passed out by the time they threw him into the closet. He probably would have if it wasn't for the loud bang that came from the door soon after.

* * *

Hayato was pissed. This mute, scrawny, joke, of a kid was going to be the next boss of the Vongola. Hayato wasn't about to let him be his boss, that was for sure. He watched as some kids threw the boy into a broom closet and walk away. Once they were gone he made his way up to the closet and grunted. He kicked the door over and over until it broke down. The boy on the other side was shaking for a few seconds, but after getting a good look at Hayato, he stopped. Did the kid think Hayato was here to help him? He was in for a rude awakening. "Follow me," Hayato said harshly and the boy nodded.

They exited the school and Hayato lead the boy to a seclusive part of the school grounds. Surprisingly, after they got outside the boy didn't run. Hayato had released a killing aura to intimidate the kid, but he didn't seem to notice. They came to a stop and Hayato turned to face the boy. "Do you really think I will work for you?" Hayato said. The boy tilted his head confused. "You can't lead the Vongola!" The boy's confusing only grew. "What, did Reborn not tell you!?" The boy seemed to realize something in that moment and then shook his head. "What do you mean!?" The boy stayed silent. "I read your file! I know you can talk!" The boy still said nothing and Hayato was getting angrier but the second. "I'm not like those bullies! I can and will kill you if you don't cooperate!" The boy nodded in acknowledgement. "Then talk!" Still nothing was said by the boy. Hayato was was done wasting his time and took out a stick of dynamite. "Do you want me to kill you!?" The boy nodded. "Well then ta..." Hayato froze when he realized the response the was give. "W...wait what was tha...that?"

The boy sighed and reached into his bag. He took out a notepad and began to write something down. _A_ _yes. Please kill me._ Hayato dropped the dynamite in shock. _Just do it. You want me dead too, don't you?_ Hayato was losing his balance. _Please, end my nightmare. Just do it._ Hayato's vision went blurry. _Don't worry. I won't be missed. No one will look for you._ Hayato just stared at the boy, unable to do anything. _Please, let me see my mom again._

Hayato could not believe anything he was seeing. This boy, he was already dead. He came out here to see what the boy could do, and if necessary, kill him. But now, he couldn't bring himself to do anything. He couldn't hurt this kid. The boy couldn't lead like this, but he wasn't even trying. Hayato couldn't get a gauge on him. Not only that, but something else stopped him. He too knew what it was like to lose a mother, but this kid must have went through so much more. The mere fact he was still here might mean that there was hope for him to become a good boss after all.

Hayato finally mustered up the ability to say something. "What do you mean you won't be missed? What about that baseball idiot from this morning?"

 _He'll forget about me soon enough. Pity only lasts so long._

Hayato couldn't process things properly. "No," he finally told the boy, who looked confused. "I won't do it!"

The boy looked incredibly disappointed. _So you want to prolong my suffering._

"No that's not it…" Hayato trailed off.

 _Stop pretending to care. If it's pity get over it, it won't last forever. If you really want to do me a favor, then kill me._

"I… I…" There was a gunshot.

"Tsuna!" said a voice from behind Hayato. "I told you to stop doing that!" Hayato turned to see a completly livid Reborn. "And you Hayato, why are you here!?"

"I… was getting impatient," Hayato said. "But now… I… I'm not sure anymore."

"I didn't call you because Tsuna wasn't ready! You will not try this again. Do I make myself clear."

"It's fine. I've lost any will to hurt this kid anyway. He's all yours." Hayato waved a hand and left.

To Be Continued...


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Tsuna headed to his school on his own as Reborn had more business to attend to when a woman with pink hair and green eyes rode up to him on a motorcycle. "You look thirsty," she said and threw him what appeared to b a can of soda or juice. Tsuna ignored it and it promptly hit the ground and broke open, leaking out some sort of strange purple liquid that looked toxic. Suddenly, a bird flying over the fumes feel out of the sky, dead.

* * *

The boy looked back at the woman, dumbfounded. She was about to leave when he took out a notepad and wrote something down. _Sorry I dropped it. Do you have another that I can have?_

The woman looked back at the boy, mirroring his dumbfounded look from earlier. Surly he noticed that the drink was poisoned. The woman wasn't known as the Poison Scorpion for nothing, even though her name was Bianchi. Why on earth would this boy want another? She could only come to one conclusion. "Okay kid, who are you trying to kill?" she asked.

The boy started to write something down again, and Bianchi was confused. She could swear that the one chosen to be the next boss of the Vongola would be able to talk at least. He finished writing what he wanted to and turned to notebook around to show her. _Myself._

Bianchi was taken aback and wasn't sure if she should give him what he wanted or a talking two about the importance of life. She chuckled for a second. She was an assassin, what did she know about the importance of life? Yet this boy was definitely making her think about it. "Well I do need you out of the way," she said, considering the idea. "But are you sure you can kill yourself like that. I mean if you really wanted to kill yourself, there are many other ways to do it other than waiting for an assassin to come along and give you poisoned juice."

The boy looked a little disappointed before writing something down. _Your right. Can you force me to drink it? I promise I won't struggle._

* * *

"You really want to die that badly?" the woman asked and Tsuna nodded. Suddenly there was a gunshot and a bullet flew by just inches from Tsuna's leg.

"I thought I told you not to ask that!" Reborn's voice shouted from behind Tsuna. Of course he'd show up right before he got his wish.

The woman looked over to Reborn and Tsuna could swear he saw hearts in her eyes. "Oh, Reborn, how I've longed to see you. But if you're treating the boy, wouldn't it make more sense to aim near his head?"

"If I did that he'd probably move into the path of the bullet. But the question I have is what are you doing here Bianchi?" Reborn asked in a strict tone of voice.

"I came to see you my love! Let's go on dangerous missions like in the old days!"

"I'm sorry Bianchi, but I must decline. I have to train Tsuna."

"Oh poor Reborn! You're trapped here unless something happens to this boy."

Tsuna began writing something down before Reborn interrupted him. "If you say something like 'make something happen to me' I will shot you in the leg. And I also won't let you use that as an excuse to get out of school."

Tsuna sighed and started to write something else. _Why are you even here?_

"I was notified that Bianchi was coming here, and I decided to walk you to school before something happened. And it was a good thing I did because if I didn't you'd be dead. And don't even think about saying something like 'that's what I wanted'." Tsuna let out a sigh of disappointment. "You're lucky that Dino hasn't seen you ask for this yet."

 _Why? Would he finally realize how useless I am and start torturing me?_

"No. Despite his occupation, Dino is quite emotional. He'd probably flood the house with his tears." Tsuna almost laughed. Someone cry over him, yeah right. "Now get to school, I'll handle Bianchi."

Tsuna sighed and did as he was told. 'So close,' he thought. School went about the same as always. Takeshi trying to talk to him, the other student and teachers picking on him, and going without lunch since Reborn wasn't there. The only difference was the presence of Hayato. The boy stared at Tsuna the whole day, seemingly observing his life. Tsuna was disappointed, Hayato went from having murderous intent towards him to curiosity about him. At least Hayato stayed out of his life, becoming just another bystander that let things happen to him. Tsuna couldn't handle another Takeshi.

At the end of the day, the teacher announced that family day was going to be in one week and handed out fliers for the class to give to the parents so they knew to visit the school. As soon as they were dismissed, Tsuna tore the flier to shreds and tossed it out the window. Family day was the day he hated the most, along with his birthday. Ever since his mom died, no one came. He didn't dare tell his foster parents, they'd probably get angry at the mere idea of Tsuna possibly asking them to go, or worse, they'd actually go and make the day even worse than it already was. The other students joked that his mom had better things to do than spend time with 'Dame Tsuna'. He didn't dare tell them that she was dead, as it would probably just make things worse. He just wanted the day to go by as usual. If Dino showed up, the school would probably find out that he didn't have parents any more. Not to mention, that Dino was sure to see how useless Tsuna was if he saw him in school. The last thing he wanted was to hasten the process of Dino and Reborn turning on him.

He headed out of the room and, as usual, when he turned the corner, he was sent flying into the wall by one of his bullies. "You got the money, or should I break your legs?" he asked condescendingly. Tsuna just did what he always did and turned his pockets inside out. "Okay, that's it! Let's see just how fragile those legs of yours are!" Suddenly there was a gunshot. "Carp! Again! Let's get out of here before Hibari gets here! You lucked out this time! But if you don't bring the money I will break your legs!" he called out as he ran away.

Tsuna started to pick up his things that were scattered all over the floor when Reborn walked over. "Are you sure that giving you money won't help?" he asked. Tsuna nodded and Reborn sighed before helping Tsuna pick up his things. Right as they finished, Hibari came over and as he was about to pick up Tsuna and eject him from the school, his attention was grabbed by Reborn's presence.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"You can call me Reborn."

"Take the little animal and leave, carnivore."

"As you wish." With that Reborn lead Tsuna out of the school. "What was that carnivore thing about?" he asked Tsuna.

Tsuna took out his notepad. _It means he recognizes your strength. Herbivores are the common crowd, consisting of what he considers weaklings. Omnivores are those who he respects the strength of but are still considered weak compared to him, and carnivores are those he recognizes as equals or stronger._

"He's an interesting one." Once they reached the house, Reborn left Tsuna alone and went back to do the work he was doing for the day.

There was a knock on the door and Tsuna answered it. When he saw Bianchi his face almost lit up. He took out his notepad. _Why are you here?_

"I'm here to live with Reborn," she said in a longing tone. "Dino sent me out to get groceries. I just got back." Tsuna's gave a small smile. "Reborn told me not to hurt you. He also said he wouldn't forgive me if I did."

Tsuna became disappointed. _Please._

"Sorry kid, but the whole reason I was going to kill you to begin with was so I could be with Reborn. I couldn't live if he hated me."

"Oh," Dino's voice came from behind them. "Bianchi, you're back. And so is Tsuna I see." Tsuna turned around to face Dino, who saw the disappointed look on his face. "What's wrong?"

"Reborn told me not to attack him," Bianchi said.

"Why would he be upset about that?"

Bianchi was about to answer when Tsuna started to write something down. _Because her poison can grant my wish._

Dino's eyes widened in horror. "W… what do you mean by that?"

 _Isn't it obvious? I'm tired of this life._

Dino's eyes began to water. "I… I thought Reborn was exaggerating when he said you were suicidal." Tears started to stream down Dino's face. "W… why? D… did I do something wrong?" Tsuna dropped his notepad in shock and found himself unable to move as Dino's tears began to fall. Dino was actually crying over him. Over Dame Tsuna. Over the useless punching bag.

"You told him," Reborn's voice called out, "didn't you?" Tsuna just stood there, unable to answer or ever move a muscle.

Reborn lept into the air and kicked Dino to the floor. "What was that for?" Dino said, wiping the tears from his eyes while he was still sniffling.

"Go make lunch. I'll talk to Tsuna."

Dino got up, wiping the tears from his eyes once more. "Okay," he said and left.

Reborn turned his attention to Tsuna, who, finally processing what happened, lost all his strength and fell to the floor. "I warned you, didn't I?" Tsuna just sat there, unable to respond. "Look, Dino is taking his job as your father rather seriously. He feels a kinship with you. You see, before you, he was my student. He was clumsy, and not too bright, but with my help, he made it through and became what he is today. I am trying to do the same for you, but Dino is trying to care for you. We can only do so much if you refuse to open up. I can't force you, but know that we will be here for you."

Dino came back in with lunch, eyes still red from crying. "Here," he said softly. "Please eat."

Tsuna got up, still feeling weak, but made his way over to the table and began to eat. He still couldn't believe what happened. His mind couldn't comprehend the idea of someone actually caring about him. It was pity, that had to be it. And it would eventually fade away. Then Tsuna's life would return to the hell he knew.

* * *

A week went by and things were relatively normal except two things. One, Bianchi was living with them and constantly gushing over Reborn. Two, Dino was constantly fussing over Tsuna, with this worried look on his face. He kept asking if Tsuna wanted anything, or offering to spend time with him, or asking if he wanted a new form of entertainment, like video games. All Tsuna could do was shake his head and try to turn him down, not that that always worked.

Tsuna got up and got ready for the worst day of the year. He managed to convince Reborn to do the work he does every once and awhile that day so he wouldn't figure out he didn't tell them about family day. Tsuna arrived at school early as always but so did most of the class because their parents made them get up early as well. The parents and other family members were signing in at the school entrance while the students went ahead to class. As soon as Tsuna sat down, his day of hell began. Students from all over the classroom surrounded his desk and began to mock him. Takeshi was trying to stop them, but couldn't get a word in or even get close to Tsuna. The group was crowding so tightly that it would probably have sent Hibari into a blood rage.

"So Dame Tsuna," one student asked, "your mom coming this year?"

Tsuna shook his head and another student said, "Of course she's not! She has better things to do other than remind herself of how useless her son is! Like sleeping or watching reruns or paint dry!"

The students laughed and continued to mock Tsuna for some time before Hayato grabbed one of their shoulders and pulled them back, grabbing all the others' attention. He wore a lethal glare on his face and said, "You're annoying me. Get lost." The students scattered back to their desks and Tsuna looked at Hayato baffled. "I left you alone because that's what you wanted, but there's only so much of their bullshit I can take." Hayato then turned around and sat back in his desk behind Tsuna, placing his feet on the desk like he always did.

So time passed and the teacher and students' families walked into the room, signaling the start of class. Tsuna sighed as he prepared himself for the humiliation that was to befall him over the course of the day, when he heard a familiar voice say, "The room's this way."

"Thanks," said another familiar voice. Tsuna looked in horror as Dino walked in with Reborn on his shoulder and Romario behind him.

The moment he entered the girls squealed. "He's so hot." one said.

"I wonder who he's related to."

Suddenly Hayato stood up and pointed a finger at Dino. "What are you doing here!?"

The girls squealed as they figured out that the popularly considered hottest boy in the class knew Dino. Dino looked over to Hayato. "Yo, Hurricane Bomb, long time no see," he said and the girls squealed even louder, probably misunderstanding the nickname. Tsuna figured it had something to do with the dynamite Hayato had when he confronted him.

"I asked why you're here, Bucking Horse." The girls started squealing in a pitch that should have been beyond human hearing, definitely misunderstanding the nickname. Tsuna had no idea what it did mean, but he had a good idea what the girls thought it meant and was sure that it wasn't that.

"I'm here for Tsuna." Suddenly all eyes turned to Tsuna, who began to bury his face into his desk and try to shrink out of sight.

"Are they brothers?" a student asked.

"Doubtful," another said. "The look nothing alike."

"Cousins maybe."

They had to show up, didn't they? How did they even find out? Tsuna was just lucky that the class was trying to figure out some sort of blood relation to Dino. If he was lucky they wouldn't press him or Dino for an answer and he could continue his school days relatively unchanged.

Reborn jumped off Dino's shoulder as the students continued trying to figure out Tsuna and Dino's relationship, unnoticed. He made his way over to Tsuna's desk, jumped on in front of Tsuna's face, and said, "Did you really think I wouldn't find out?" Tsuna lifted his head to look at Reborn. "As your tutor of course I keep an eye on your school schedule. I only said I'd stay home so I could get Dino ready and I figured that you'd do something drastic if I let on that I knew." Tsuna frowned. He was right. His backup plan was to purposely break his leg so he couldn't go to school. It wouldn't be too hard, even with the extra nutrition he's been getting the last couple of weeks, his bones were still frail. It would be unpleasant, but only for awhile. It was a far better option than making school more of a living hell than it already was. "Now that it's too late for something like that, I want to know why you didn't tell Dino and me." Tsuna stayed silent. He wasn't about to talk and wasn't going to use his notepad in the middle of class. Who knows what would happen if he did. The bullies might force him to communicate that way, or the teacher might take it away claiming he's doodling or passing notes. Reborn seemed to catch on. "I expect an answer later." He jumped off the desk and made his way back to Dino.

"Alright," the teacher spoke up, "I know it's exciting to meet your classmates' families, but we have to start class. Please be respectful of our guests and show them you're best."

The day went by as Tsuna expected. Parents complementing their children when they did well, the students and teachers finding subtle ways to pick on him, and the families either doing nothing to help or joining in. Dino seemed to avoid drawing attention to Tsuna after his introduction, probably noticing Tsuna's nervousness.

Eventually, they reached math class, and Tsuna knew the worst part of the day had arrived. Math was the easiest to fail. When Tsuna wrote down a random number, it wasn't just wrong, it was terribly wrong, making the students laugh at him even more. Not to mention that the teacher loved to pick on him.

Once class started the teacher looked towards the back of the room in Tsuna's direction with a furious look on her face, but Tsuna had a feeling that it wasn't aimed at him. "Hayato, I'd appreciate if you'd at least keep your feet off your desk to respect our guests." Hayato grunted. "Fine then! You'll go first!" The teacher gave Hayato a particularly hard question, but Hayato gave the answer in seconds. As a result, the teacher kept sending questions his way, each one more difficult than the last. It got to the point where she was giving questions above their grade level, but Hayato kept giving the correct answers. With every answer the teacher's annoyance grew.

She finally gave up on getting Hayato to get a question wrong and massaged her temple. Tsuna could swear he saw the light bulb appear over her head as she figured out the perfect way to cheer herself up. "Okay, your turn Tsuna." She gave Tsuna a question. Tsuna sighed as he got up from his desk and walked towards the chalkboard, confusing many of his classmates' families, as Hayato just said the answers out loud.

Tsuna didn't care. He resolved never to talk again. Heck it had been so long that he almost forgot how to speak. It didn't matter though. No one listened. It all started when he was little. He was constantly bullied. He tried to tell his teachers, but none of them listened, and he didn't dare tell his mom. She may have been nice, but there would be nothing she could do and it would just worry her. So eventually he gave up and stopped trying to get people to hear the fact that he was bullied. Then his mom died. He didn't talk to the government agents much. They just seem so cold and distant. And then he was taken in by those… things he was forced to call parents. Whenever he spoke to them, they'd get angry. He'd tried to tell people about the things they did to him, but again, no one believed him. Most just assumed that he didn't like them because they weren't his mother. It was at that point Tsuna realized that no one listened. If people wouldn't listen when it really mattered, then why talk at all. He wasn't going to talk just to obey what others said, so he just stopped. At first people were angry at this decision. Teachers tried to force him to speak, and when that didn't work, they tried getting those… things to send him to therapy to get him to speak. Of course they were angry that he dragged them into it, so they agreed. He had therapy sessions every night where they beat the hell out of him demanding he speak. After that didn't work, they told the school that they tried, but the therapist said that he couldn't help him. Then, finally, everyone gave up. It didn't change much. His teachers still didn't care that he was being bullied. The bullies were actually pleased because they didn't have to worry that he'd rat them out. And it wasn't like he had any friends to talk to, so his voice was useless as he was.

By the time Tsuna reached the chalkboard he forgot the question he was asked, not that it mattered, he was just going to write down a random number anyway. "Let me guess," the teacher said, "you forgot the question." Tsuna nodded. If he said no and got the question wrong, he'd look like a liar instead of an idiot, and that was something he didn't need. The teacher smiled. "Sorry, I forgot you're slow." Chuckles came from the students and even some of their family member that knew Tsuna. "Okay I'll write it down for you," she said as she did so. "Now I gave you an easy one, so try not to embarrass yourself."

Tsuna was about to write his random number when Dino said, "Tsuna, try for me." Tsuna felt compelled to listen and looked at the problem. It really was an easy one. After only three seconds he wrote down the answer and started walking back to his desk.

As he did so, he mentally kicked himself. It was easy enough to get the question right. Despite popular belief, he did pay attention in class, in case he ever needed to know this stuff. He didn't dare take notes in school, but he had nothing better to do at home. When Reborn came and handed him a notebook to communicate with, it was a stroke of luck, as his old notebook was already full, and it would be a big mistake to even try to ask those things for another one. The notes came in handy during summer school, where no one questioned his grades, so he was able to avoid being held back. But the reason he was upset was that he knew despite his best efforts, he was getting attached to Dino. He had to stop. He had to push him away, or it would hurt more than he could bear when things changed.

The teacher shook her head before even looking at Tsuna's answer. "What am I going to do with you?" she said as she turned to look at the answer. "Once again you're…" She froze and her face became utterly baffled. "T… That's cor… correct." Tsuna had to admit that he was mildly amused by the teacher's face and could swear there was a flash of light at that moment.

"Dame Tsuna," one of the students said, "got a question right?"

"That's impossible," another said.

"He must have got lucky."

"Yeah, there's no other explanation."

This is why Tsuna never tried. When he was little, he did everything he could to get good grades, but he got picked on for being a nerd. So he stopped and his grades plummeted like a rock. That seemed to stop the other kids from bullying him. However, a few years afterwards, they started picking on him for being an idiot. So he started trying again, and with considerable effort, he brought his grades back up. But the other kids just assumed he was getting lucky. Once it was going on to long to be luck, they said he was cheating. Even the teachers kept a close eye on him. Other students kept telling him to stop cheating and eventually started attacking him. So Tsuna gave up and soon the bullies went back to bullying him because he was an idiot, but at least he didn't need to put in any effort. The only problem was how it disappointed his mother became over his grades, but she seemed to know the reason, so she left it alone. Still it seemed he wasn't allowed to have good grades. He wouldn't be able to get into any kind of collage with grades like his, and he was too clumsy to go into any kind of labor job. He was useless, and eventually would die on the streets, jobless and homeless.

"Good job Tsuna." Dino said, but Tsuna just sighed. Didn't he hear the class? There was no point. Besides, he would give up on Tsuna soon enough.

The teacher cleared her throat as she regained composure. "Well, I suppose even a broken clock is right twice a day," she said and the class erupted into laughter. Tsuna heard a snort come from the desk behind him and saw Takeshi tense up, seemingly angry. He turned to look and the families. The ones he knew had amused looks on their faces, while the ones he didn't seemed confused. Dino and Reborn, however, wore scowls that Tsuna hoped the teacher did see.

The day continued and soon lunch came. Tsuna tried to quickly escape to the roof, but Takeshi grabbed his wrist. "Come on," he said, "I want to introduce you to my father." He dragged Tsuna over to a man with black hair and brown eyes, much like Takeshi, but older. It was obviously his father.

"Oh, you must be Tsuna," the man said. "I'm Tsuyoshi. It's nice to meet you. Takeshi told me about you. What do you think of my boy? A lot of fun, isn't he?" Tsuna stayed silent. "There's no need to be shy."

"Dad," Takeshi said, "didn't I tell you, he…"

"He doesn't talk," Dino interrupted.

"Oh," Tsuyoshi said, "Come to think of it, Takeshi did mention something about that. So are you his brother?"

"No, actually, I'm technically his dad. My name's Dino." Suddenly the class went silent, wanting to hear about Dino's relation to Tsuna.

Tsuyoshi looked confused and then looked Dino over. "I find that hard to believe. You can't possibly be old enough."

"Yeah well, I'm his legal guardian now, so that technically makes me his dad."

"What happened to his parents?"

"Well, his father worked abroad and died about a two months ago, although he wasn't able to be contacted, and his mother died about two years ago."

Tsuna eyes widened. "Oh, so do you know why he doesn't speak."

"I assume it has something to do with his previous guardians."

Tsuna's breathing stopped. "He had guardians before you?"

"Yeah, two, a couple."

"What happened to them?"

"Well, they didn't treat him right."

Tsuna's hearing became muffled. "Wait, do you mean…"

"Yeah, they wear abusing him. I don't know the full extent, but the did beat him and he wasn't eating right. It was a chore just to get him to start eating again." Tsuna felt the world start to spin and he couldn't tell up from down. He felt like he was going to throw up when he heard a loud thud, and then everything went black.

* * *

Dino waited in the nurse's office for Tsuna to wake up, pacing around the room anxiously. Takeshi and Tsuyoshi sat in the corner with Reborn and Romario. After some time there was a groan that came from the bed Tsuna was on. They all got up and watched as Tsuna slowly opened his eyes and looked over to them, his eyes still hazy. "Why are they so worried," a weak voice choked out and then Tsuna started coughing.

Dino's eyes widened as he realized what just happened. "You talked!" he shouted and pulled Tsuna into a hug. Tsuna froze. Even his breathing stopped. After a few seconds Dino let go and Tsuna looked shocked and confused.

He looked around until he found his school bag and grabbed it, pulling out his notebook. Dino was about to take it to make Tsuna talk when Reborn stopped him. _Why did you do that?_

Dino smiled. "You finally talked."

Tsuna's eyes widened, seemingly scared. _I'm sorry. I_ …

Dino stopped reading and smiled gently to reassure Tsuna. "Don't apologize. I've been waiting for this moment. Here let me take that notepad."

As Dino reached over, Tsuna pulled the notepad into his chest tightly, and Dino pulled his arm back in surprise. After it was clear that Dino wasn't going to force the notepad away, Tsuna started writing something down. _I'm not ready yet._

"Okay, I'll wait for you."

* * *

Tsuna cursed himself. Why'd he write that? Not ready yet. He'd never be ready. He resolved never to speak again. He had to stop letting Dino get into his head like this. He had to find a way to remove his attachment to him before it was ripped away instead.

"Okay, I'll wait for you," Dino said and pulled Tsuna into another hug. Tsuna froze again. It had been so long since he felt this warmth. Even before his mother died, he had reached the age where he wasn't sharing many hugs with her, something he now regretted. He wanted to stay in Dino's arms forever before he realized that he was allowing himself to get more attached. Still, he couldn't bring himself to push Dino away.

Once Dino finally let go, a thought occurred to Tsuna. _Why am I here anyway?_

Dino looked away. "You fainted. I'm pretty sure it was my fault. I shouldn't have talked about you without your permission. Sorry," Dino said in a soft voice full of guilt. Despite Tsuna's best efforts, he couldn't help but feel bad for making him feel that way.

 _It's okay._ Tsuna wrote down trying to make Dino feel better. However, it wasn't okay. His whole class knew what he was trying to keep secret all these years, and soon the whole school would know. Most kids would be sympathized with, and people would try to make them feel better. But he was Dame Tsuna. No one would do anything but try to make him feel worse.

Dino gave a slight smile, clearly not believing that Tsuna meant it was okay, but appreciating the sentiment. "Well, you were out for a while. School got out, so let's head home."

Tsuna nodded and Takeshi spoke up. "Well see you tomorrow," he said. "It's good to see that you have a way to communicate. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." Takeshi and Tsuyoshi waved goodbye and left.

Tsuna got out of the bed and Dino led him out with Reborn on his shoulder, followed by Romario. On their way out of the school, Dino placed a hand on top of Tsuna's head. At first, it startled Tsuna, but after a few seconds he felt the warmth of the touch and let it be. As they walked down the halls, Tsuna heard a few chuckles at his current position under Dino's hand, but he didn't care. He enjoyed the warmth he felt, and there was a weird feeling in his chest. A feeling he thought he'd never feel again. He felt hope, hope that maybe, just maybe, he could have a real family again, and no matter what he did, he couldn't push it away.

To Be Continued...

Author's Note: One, this is not a yaoi. There actually won't be any shipping at all in this particular story. Dino is just a parent figure to Tsuna.

Two, I am approaching the end of the part of the story that I know where I'm going with. I do have a rough idea about the next chapter, but that's about all. I'd like to say again that if you have any ideas, feel free to PM me.


	6. Chapter 6

Wow It's been awhile, hasn't it. Sorry, I've been busy trying (and failing) to get my youtube channel up and running. I've also been having some issues with my motivation recently and I'd even say some mild depression (nothing even in the same ballpark as depicted in this story, don't worry.) But I'm back. **Please stick around and read the closing note as well.**

 **Warning:** This chapter as depictions of torture. Nothing too graphic but it's mention nonetheless.

Chapter 6

Tsuna found himself in his backyard standing in front of Dino, who had a baseball mitt on his hand. Tsuna looked down and saw there was one on his as well. He also had the ball in his other hand. "Come on," Dino said in an encouraging tone. "Throw it over here."

Tsuna sighed but gave a small and almost unnoticeable smile before he passed the ball to Dino. However, his lack of athletic skills mixed with his clumsy nature caused the ball to completely miss Dino. Tsuna winched and looked away only to here a gentle chuckle. He looked up to see Dino giving him a reassuring smile as he went to pick up the ball. "Don't worry. You'll get better."

He passed the ball back to Tsuna and Tsuna even managed to put his mitt in front of it but failed to keep it there as he tumbled and dropped it. He quickly scrambled to pick it up and Dino chuckled gently again. "Relax. It's just a game of catch."

Tsuna took in a breath and tossed the ball back to Dino. He missed again but this time Dino reached out in order to catch it. Dino looked back at Tsuna, holding the mitt with the ball in it in front of him to show Tsuna, and gave a goofy smile that made Tsuna chuckle.

Suddenly, Dino's face contorted into a demonic smile and his eyes and mouth started to glow an eerily bright but menacing shade of red. His body turned pitch black as it was covered in shadows and the ball become skinnier and longer until it transformed into a whip. Tsuna tried to run but suddenly found himself tied up and lying on the ground. With a crack of the whip, pain spread its way through Tsuna's entire body and he crawled up into as much of a ball as he could with his arms and legs tied in order to protect as much of his body as possible. A small figure covered in shadows with the same demonic face as the other appeared and held out its hand as something crawled into it before transforming into another whip. They attacked Tsuna again and he let out a muffled grunt as he tried to resist crying out in pain. As they continued Tsuna was finding it harder and harder to resist the urge to give in to the pain, but he refused to scream. He knew how to handle this situation. It was nothing he hadn't been through before. In the long run he could never hold out forever, but if he was going to be tortured for the fun of it, then he wasn't going to make it easy for them. Suddenly the endless assault stopped and the taller shadow made its way over to Tsuna. It grabbed Tsuna by the hair and forced him to look it in its demonic red eyes.

"You're a stubborn little brat," it said. "No matter. I know what will make you cry." It dropped Tsuna and took out a small book like object. Tsuna froze as he realized it was his photo album. "Did you really think you could hide it from me?" Tsuna's eyes widened as his pupils shrunk to the size of pin needles as the figure lit a match.

'No,' he thought as the match drew closer. Once it made contact the album instantly burst into flames and was completely engulfed.

"No!" Tsuna screamed and realized that he was now in a dark room. As his eyes adjusted, he realized that it was his room and he was in bed. Tsuna let out a sigh of relief. It was just another nightmare. He had them almost every night, but it had been a long time since he had one that bad. Suddenly the door flew open with a crash and Dino was standing in the doorway, seemingly terrified.

* * *

Dino awoke to the sound of a scream. "Tsuna!" he shouted as he jumped out of the bed and dashed through the hall. Upon reaching Tsuna's room he threw the door open so fast that it crashed into the wall. "Tsuna! Are you okay!?" Tsuna, still sitting on his bed, just tilted his head.

* * *

Tsuna reached over to his nightstand and grabbed his notebook. _Yes_.

"What happened?" Dino asked, still panicked.

 _I just had another nightmare. It's nothing new._

"Are you sure there's nothing wrong?"

Tsuna rolled his eyes. Seriously, this was ridiculous, even for Dino. _Yes. Why are you so worried. It's not like I've never had nightmares before_.

"But you screamed."

'What!?' Tsuna thought as he mentally cursed himself. How could he let some stupid nightmare get him to use his voice? He was getting weaker. He needed to fix his barriers before it was too late.

Tsuna looked at the clock and saw it was about two hours earlier than the usual time he got up. _I'm going to get ready for school._

"No, you're not. You need more sleep. You don't get enough as it is."

 _If I go back to sleep now I won't wake up in time and I'll be late for school. Besides, I'm not tired anymore_.

"Not tired my…" Dino stopped short. "You may not feel tired, but you never get enough sleep. And I'd rather you not go to school at all than get even less sleep than you already do."

 _I can't skip school. Hibari has no mercy for those who break the rules._

"Then tell him I forced you to stay home for medical reasons and if he has a problem with that, he can take it up with me."

Tsuna was about to write something down again when Dino grabbed the notepad before gently pushing him back down and pulling the blankets back over him. "No more excuses," Dino said as he put the notepad back on the nightstand. Reluctantly Tsuna closed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep. However, the image of his photo album burning immediately popped into his head. That album was the only thing left in this world he still cared about, as it was the only evidence he had that someone once wanted him. Someone once loved him. That, at one time, he was needed on this planet. As such he valued it more than his own life. He decided that he couldn't wait any longer and was going to bury the album in the backyard. The fact that he couldn't reach it when he was locked in his room didn't matter anymore. He had to keep it safe at all costs. As the image refused to go away, Tsuna tensed up and was unable to breathe properly until he felt Dino's hand comb through his hair. Why was Dino so nice to him? He just couldn't understand. Even so, he let the action calm his nerves and suddenly his mind went numb as he became extremely tired and immediately fell asleep.

* * *

Tsuna's eyes slowly blinked open as he woke up and he gave out a loud yawn as he sat up in his bed. He couldn't remember the last time he had a night's sleep as good as that. Even when his mom was alive, he was always anxious about school and the bullies, so, while not short, he was still never comfortable when he slept, always thinking about the next day's problems.

Tsuna smelt breakfast being cooked, and it smelled like there was a lot more being made than usual. He looked at his clock and nearly jumped two feet into the air. 'I'm late!' he screamed into his head. He scrambled to put on his school uniform and dashed towards the door, only to be blocked by Reborn.

"Where do you think you're going?" Reborn asked.

Tsuna looked at Reborn dumbfounded. 'He's got to be kidding,' he thought.

"You're not leaving without breakfast."

Tsuna looked at Reborn extremely annoyed. He did not have time for this. The later it was, the angrier Hibari would get, and the more the other students would mock him. His attendance was the one thing he was good with since his mom died, always at school earlier than the other students and the only times he was absent the last two years was when Reborn and Dino kept him home to make the legal and life adjustments he needed with the change in guardians. He never even stayed home sick. No one ever got close to him so there was no risk of giving the illness to someone else and there was no way he was going to stay with those things when he was that weak. He had a better chance of getting better by sleeping in the park during a rainstorm than staying home with them. Besides, if he went to school the nurse would sometimes give him some medication.

Tsuna took out his notepad in a rush. _I don't have time for breakfast. I'm already late_.

"You're heath comes before school at the moment."

 _Do you have any idea what Hibari will do to me? The later I am, the worse it will be. That will be a 1000 times worse for my health than not eating breakfast_.

"I'll accompany you to school. If he tries something, I'll stop him myself."

Tsuna sighed. There was no escaping Reborn, and he knew it. He reluctantly sat down at the table as Dino place the last dish down. "Good morning Tsuna," Dino said. "It seems you got a full nights sleep for a change." Tsuna rolled his eyes. He didn't care about that. "Sorry breakfast was so late. I wanted to make a bit more since your appetite has been improving. Bianchi offered to help, but it turns out that she can only make poisoned foods, even when she doesn't want to. Point is, we had to scrap everything she helped cook and start over." Dino scratched the back of his head and gave an embarrassed chuckle.

Tsuna sighed and began to eat. He thought that Dino must have gone all out that day as the food was really good and there was a large variety. It reminded Tsuna of when his mom used to cook for him. She was an extraordinary cook. She would always make large amounts of food and loved to have company. The memories brought forth made Tsuna's eyes water.

"Tsuna, why are you crying?" Dino asked almost immediately after Tsuna's eyes began to water. "What's wrong?"

Tsuna smiled and shook his head. _It's just been so long since I've had a meal like this. It reminded me of home_.

Dino's eyes were practically sparkling the moment Tsuna smiled and there seemed to be a sudden flash of light. "I finally got to see you smile," Dino said ecstatic and Tsuna covered his mouth. "Don't be like that. I want to see you smile." Tsuna sighed and uncovered his mouth. "That's it. I want to make it so that smile never fades. And by the way, this is your home."

Tsuna suppressed the urge to chuckle at Dino's enthusiasm. _The point is that the food is really good. That combined with the amount you made reminded me of my mom's cooking._

"Thank you for the complement young master," Romario said. "I'm glad you like it." Tsuna tilted his head at that statement. "Oh, sorry, I should have known that you would be confused if I called you that. It's just, as the bosses son, that is what I called you naturally. It's supposed to be a sign of respect."

Tsuna nodded in acknowledgment. _Okay, but you don't have to call me that. I'm not someone you should respect._

"It's okay. I take great pride in helping to raise you. You may not believe me, but I see great things in your future." Tsuna rolled his eyes and continued to eat.

* * *

It had gotten so late that Tsuna was afraid to go to school. Even if he got past Hibari, there was no telling what the other students would act like. Unfortunately for him, Reborn followed through on his promise to escort him to school, and it wasn't like he could back out of it now. Even worse was the fact the Reborn said that Dino needed a lot of help with his work, so he couldn't stay.

Once they reached the school gates Tsuna slowly peered around the corner and didn't spot Hibari. 'Maybe he already started his nap,' he thought. That would be good. If Tsuna stayed quite, he may be able to avoid him. Tsuna turned to Reborn letting him know he can go.

Reborn looked over before for nodding. "Before I go, I need to tell you that we have made arrangements with the Yamamoto's," he said. "Takeshi will tell you about it during lunch. Take care." Reborn started to walk away and Tsuna quickly, but almost silently, made his way to the school.

"Herbivore," Tsuna heard Hibari say from behind him right before he made it into the school. Tsuna contemplated dashing into the school but realized there was no point. Hibari would catch him easily and, if anything, it would make Hibari even angrier. Tsuna turned around to face Hibari but didn't make eye contact. "You're late." Tsuna tensed up and squeezed his eyes shut as he braced himself for the attack. However, he only felt a slight bonk on the top of his head. Extremely confused, he opened his eyes and looked at Hibari to see an amused look on his face. "Get to class little animal," he said and walked away.

'What just happened?' Tsuna thought. Hibari never let anyone off the hook, not even other members of the discipline committee. The fact that he only hit Tsuna on the top of the head with his tonfas made no sense. It didn't even hurt. Tsuna shook his head. He figured that he should just count his blessings and get to class. It didn't really matter after all.

Tsuna reached his classroom and took a deep breath to mentally prepare himself for the assault to come. Deciding he was prepared enough, he opened the door and walked in. At that moment the room went silent and all eyes were on him. "Look who it is," one student broke the silence. "Looks like Dame Tsuna is falling back into bad habits. Late again?"

The class erupted into laughter and Tsuna noticed Takeshi practically jump out of his seat, startled, probably waking from a nap because of the laughter. The teacher once again made no attempts to quiet the room down, but this time seemed noticeably uncomfortable.

"He just can't do anything right, can he?"

Tsuna hung his head and made his way to his seat. By now the teacher would have usually calmed the class down by saying something like, it's nothing new to see a student come in late. However, she seemed confused and unsure of what to do for some reason.

"Will you all shut up!" a female voice called out. Tsuna looked over to see a girl with golden brown hair and gold eyes standing at her desk and glaring at the rest of the class. It was Kyoko, the most popular girl in school. "Do you have any idea how annoying you all are when you take every opportunity to mock Tsuna as much as possible!? And how heartless can you all be!? Did you forget what happened yesterday!? I'm frankly surprised he's in a good enough shape to show up today after that! And what do you all do?! You mock him for showing up late for his first time in two years, like none of you ever show up late! If anything you've all been tarty more than him, but because he's," she switched to a sarcastic tone, "Dame Tsuna," she switched back to a normal voice, "you have to mock and bully him over every little thing, even if it's something you're guilty of yourself!"

"Kyoko," her friend, Hana, a girl with dark, almost black, brown hair and black eyes, said form the seat next to Kyoko, "calm down. Associating with him will just get them to come after you."

"No! I know you're just looking out for me Hana and that's why I've stayed quiet till now! But after hearing what happened yesterday, I can't sit idly by anymore while these complete assholes make Tsuna's life as miserable as possible! Do you know how ashamed I felt when I heard that yesterday! I felt like I was going to die from all the guilt!"

The classroom went silent. After almost a full minute of uncomfortable silence, the teacher cleared her throat. "Kyoko," she said, "while I must thank you for helping calm the class down, I must ask that you refrain from shouting in class." Kyoko glared at the teacher but sat down quietly regardless.

Tsuna, however, was still baffled at the fact that the most popular girl in the school stood up for him. Even though it was only out of pity, she seemed so angry at the rest of the class, and even more so at herself. Tsuna couldn't believe that there was someone that would care so much about what was happening to him, after all, no one ever did before. It was nice to see that people like Kyoko actually did exist. Still, the fact that she felt guilty over not helping someone as useless as him made Tsuna feel like he did something wrong. She shouldn't be concerned about him to the point that it hurt her. She shouldn't even be concerned at all.

Since Tsuna was late, the first half of the day flew by. Lunch arrived and before Tsuna could even get out of his seat, his most persistent bully came over to him. Tsuna got up and waited for whatever was going to happen to happen. He noticed Takeshi get out of his seat and head towards him, but was blocked by the other bullies.

"Hey," the leader said. "I wanted to apologize for the last two years. I didn't know your mom died." Tsuna internally screamed. He completely forgot about that. Now Kyoko's outburst and the Teachers' relative unease around him made sense. However, he knew that this bully was not doing this for good reasons. He could feel the incoming torment. "It makes sense now why you never had any money or lunches. You should have told me. We could have worked something out." There it was. This was still about getting money out of him.

"Seriously though, it's such a shame. Your mom seemed like a nice person from the times I've seen her. I guess having Dame Tsuna for a son would take its toll on anyone though."

Tsuna twitched and his hands squeezed into fists. It didn't matter what anyone said about him. He was useless. However, this bully was suggesting his mom killed herself and that was crossing a line Tsuna didn't even know existed. His mom was one of the strongest people he had ever known and he wouldn't let anyone soil her memory. If this kid continued, Tsuna didn't care how long it would take or how it was done, he would make him regret it.

The bully gave a crooked smile. "What's wrong, I'm only telling the truth? Anyone would ha…" Tsuna slugged him square in the jaw, cutting him short. The room went silent as all eyes turned towards them. The room seemed frozen. The bully's head didn't budge because of Tsuna's lack of muscle, but he still stopped in his tracks, completely shocked.

After a few seconds, the bully smiled. "So there is something that gets under your skin." The smile dropped. "That being said, I can't just let you get away with hitting me, can I?" the bully raised his fist and despite Takeshi's efforts, he couldn't get past the blockade in front of him.

Right as the fist was about to make contact, someone grabbed the bully's wrist. Tsuna and the bully turned to see Hayato wearing a death glare before throwing the bully into the wall and holding him against it by the shirt collar. "Look, I couldn't care less about what you do to this wimp," he said. "But if you insult his mother one more time without knowing the facts, I will kill you." The bully gulped. "Also, if you insist on picking on this kid, I suggest you quiet it down or take it somewhere else. You're obnoxious. If you don't want to have the same speaking habits as the wimp there, I suggest you stop getting on my nerves. Do I make myself clear?" The bully gulped again and nodded. "Good." Hayato let the bully go and went back to his seat.

The bully made his way over to Tsuna again and grabbed his wrist. "You heard the guy. Let's take this outside."

Takeshi couldn't hold back anymore and attacked the underlings with a chair, knocking them to the ground to the ground before tackling the leader. "I've had it with you and your bullshit!" he said. "You want to fight someone! Then fight me! Oh, that's right! You don't want a fight. You're too much of a coward to attack someone that can fight back! All you want is a punching bag! Maybe the reason you keep demanding money from Tsuna here is because you're too poor to afford to buy one! But you know what!? The pendulum swings both ways! Now it's your turn."

Takeshi raised his fist to punch the bully. However, before he could swing, someone grabbed it and threw him off of the bully. "Herbivores," said Hibari, announcing his presence. "For fighting on school grounds, I'll bite you to death."

"I was only doing this to protect Tsuna! He was going to attack him!"

Hibari raised an eyebrow and looked over to the bully. "Don't look at me," the bully said as he got off the ground. "That brat attacked me first."

"That's only because…" Takeshi stopped short when Hibari threw his tonfa into the bully's face.

"I know this little animal," Hibari said. "He wouldn't raise his hand to swat a fly or stop a rock from hitting him in the face. So either you're lying, or you did something far worse. And for your sake, it better be the former."

"Oh... o...of course I w...was just kidding," the bully said.

"Who said I would trust your word? You harass the little animal on a daily basis." Hibari turned to Takeshi. "Follow me and bring the little animal," he said and began to walk away.

"Come on Tsuna," Takeshi said. "We both know where he's going. We'd be heading over there anyway, right?"

Tsuna nodded and began to follow Takeshi out of the room. As he passed by the bully, he heard him whisper, "You may be safe here for now, but what about your home? How much longer do you think that pretty boy can hold out?"

Tsuna nearly froze as visions of his dream flashed before his eyes. He continued to the roof on autopilot and when he made it to the edge he looked down once more. The visions were making it hard to see the ground. One step. Just one step. He lifted his foot and moved it over the ledge. All he had to do was put it down. He could finally end this. It could finally be over.

"Hey, Tsuna!" Takeshi called over snapping Tsuna out of his trance. The moment the ground became clear again, he faltered and his leg retracted back to the roof's floor. "Hibari heard what happened from me and he just wants some confirmation."

"Is it true that he was insulting your mother?" Hibari asked. Tsuna nodded. "And that's what pushed you over the edge?" Tsuna nodded again. "You should have done this sooner. I will excuse your attack for now because I know you won't strike first without good reason."

Tsuna took out his notepad. _That reason was enough?_

"If you won't raise your hand to protect yourself, but you will for that than it is a cut that is beyond forgiveness. Now eat." Hibari went to his usual corner of the roof to take his nap.

Takeshi joined Tsuna as he sighed and sat down. Knowing that Reborn was busy Tsuna figured he'd be going without lunch until Takeshi held out a lunch box in front of him. Tsuna just stared at it blankly. He never ate any of Takeshi's lunches before and didn't plan to start now.

"This one's yours," Takeshi said. "Yesterday, while you… yesterday your dad and my dad arranged for my dad to make you lunches when the kid can't bring them to you." Tsuna rolled his eyes. "I'll be handling delivery and I was also told to make sure you eat."

Tsuna sighed once again and took out his notepad. _I had a big breakfast this morning. It's one of the reasons I was late. Dino wouldn't let me leave without breakfast_.

Takeshi smiled. "Okay, but can you eat a little. It would make my dad happy." Tsuna sighed as he opened the box to see it was full of sushi. He took a bite and noticed the high quality immediately causing his face to light up until he realized it and forced himself back to his neutral expression. "Good, right? My dad runs a sushi restaurant. You and your family should totally drop by sometime." Takeshi jokingly nudged in the arm Tsuna in the arm. Despite it only being a light tap, the unexpected friendly contact caused Tsuna to drop the piece of sushi he was holding. After realizing, he watched as it bounced off the floor and fell off the roof.

"Sorry," Takeshi said immediately. Tsuna, however, didn't hear him. He just stared off the roof, feeling slightly envious and Takeshi started to look at him with concern. "You know, I've been meaning to ask, why do you always eat so close to the edge of the roof?"

Tsuna sighed. There wasn't really a point in hiding it. Everyone else currently taking pity on him already knew, with the exception of the ones that started that day, like Kyoko. He grabbed his bag and took out his notepad. _To try and jump off. I just can't seem to take that last step. I've silently hoped that one day a bully would come and push me off, but no such luck._

Takeshi stared at Tsuna in utter shook. "You're trying to kill yourself?" Tsuna rolled his eyes and nodded. Why did everyone respond like that? After realizing that he would lead a life devoid of love, it seemed like a natural conclusion. "We're not eating here anymore." Takeshi grabbed Tsuna by the back of his shirt and started dragging him over him over to the center of the roof. Tsuna struggled, not wanting to be forced away from his possible release. "I'm not letting you give up on life! You have a chance to make it better now so I won't let you throw that away!"

"Herbivores," Hibari said with a menacing tone as he was awoken from his nap. His attention soon turned to Takeshi holding Tsuna by the back of his shirt as Tsuna seemed to be trying to escape. "You better have a good explanation for this."

"Oh, I have one!" Takeshi snatched Tsuna's notepad and held it up to Hibari. "This!"

Hibari gave it one glance and turned to Tsuna. "If you even think about doing that again, you will be forbidden from coming up to the roof. I will not allow suicides on school grounds. You will refrain from approaching the edge of the roof from now on." Hibari then turned to Takeshi. "If something like this happens again, you will tell me. Your lunch is about to end so you might as well head back to class." Tsuna nodded, wanting to leave this situation as soon as possible. If Hibari ordered it, then there would be no more chances for him to try to jump. If he failed and was banned from the roof, then he'd have nowhere to hide from the bullies.

Once he made it back to class one of his bullies was waiting at his desk. "Back from lunch early today?" he said. "What, did Hibari finally get tired of babysitting you?" Tsuna rolled his eyes. He was not in the mood for this. "You know I was wondering, those guardians you had before the pretty boy, did they just beat you, or did thing get a little more in…" the bully was cut short when Hayato threw an unlit stick of dynamite at his head.

"I thought I told you that you're annoying me," Hayato said. "And in case you're wondering, yes and I got more so shut up or leave."

The bully looked at the stick of dynamite and shook his head before heading back to his seat.

Tsuna didn't care anymore. that day was just one thing after another. Did those things do anything besides beat him? Of course they did. If there's a kind of abuse, Tsuna went through it. Some of them were even forms of torture. Those things just loved to try all kinds of methods on him. Waterboarding, electric shocks, but their favorite was the whip. They'd tie him up and whip him continually, relishing the screams.

Tsuna's mind went hazy as the teacher walked in and started math class. He could barely hear her take attendance. As class started he began to see visions of his past.

The whip cracked. "Scream boy!" the man yelled joyfully as Tsuna whimpered in pain. Tsuna bit his lip in order to stop himself from complying with the man's orders.

"Tsuna," someone said annoyed.

The whip cracked. "Do you think he's ready?" the man asked.

"Tsuna!"

"Not yet," a woman said. The whip cracked again.

"Tsunayoshi!"

"I think he's ready now," the man said as he walked over. He grabbed Tsuna by the binds on his wrist and pulled him off the ground, smiling as he looked at the tears Tsuna was holding in his eyes.

"Tsunayoshi Sawada!" Tsuna's attention was dragged back to the present as the teacher shouted his full name and for the first time, Tsuna was happy that she liked to pick on him. "You have some nerve to daydream in my class!" she said as he turned his glassy eyes over to her. "Now that I've got your attention, how about you answer this question?" Tsuna looked over to the chalkboard, but with his cloudy vision, he couldn't see a thing. He couldn't even think properly as he used all of his power to keep himself from slipping back into the memory. Eventually, Tsuna shook his head. "What?!" The teacher probably looked like she was about to rip his head off, but Tsuna couldn't tell as his cloudy vision couldn't make out her facial expressions. "Let me rephrase that. Get up here and answer this question, now!" Tsuna once again shook his head as his vision became even blurrier. "Let... me... get… this… straight. Are you disobeying a direct command from your teacher?" Tsuna nodded as the teacher's figure merged with the background. Suddenly there was a loud bang that, in Tsuna's current state, he could swear was the crack of a whip. The noise caused Tsuna to jump backward and fall out of his seat. "Principal's office! Now!" Tsuna nodded and got up. Detention sounded pretty good at that moment. He began to walk to the door when he suddenly crashed into something, but with his vision getting worse by the second, he couldn't tell what. All he could tell was that the room seemed to be spinning around him until it stopped with the roof in front of his eyes.

There was some laughter, but it seemed so far away and was getting quieter by the second. "He just walked straight into the wall!"

"You're becoming even more of a klutz, Dame Tsuna!"

"Are you okay?" a voice said but Tsuna could no longer tell who it was. Everything seemed to blur together, like a horrible mess of watercolors. "Tsuna! Can you..." Tsuna couldn't hear the rest. All the noise around him faded away and the colors shifted from place to place. He couldn't tell what was happening anymore, but he no longer cared. He had no more energy to waste on such things.

To Be Continued…

 **Please Read:** First off I want to let you know that I don't plan on leaving you with this cliffhanger for too long. I plan on releasing the next chapter within a month if possible. The next chapter was originally going to be part of this one, but so much happened in this chapter that I felt that was a good stopping point. However, as a result, the next chapter may be a little short.

Second I will be releasing a status update soon as a "chapter" **Please Read It.**

Lastly, I want to thank everyone who followed, favorited, and reviewed this story as well as make a few shout-outs.

Thanks to Nekkoismyname, lovleydragonfly, and one guest for sending in some ideas for the story.

To the Guest:

"[ **Do] you plan on introducing Ryohei and Kyoko and maybe Haru into the story[?]"** This wasn't originally a question. The things in the brackets aren't fixing grammar, just rephrasing it into a question.)

As you read I have just introduced Kyoko into the story, and that was partly so I can introduce Ryohei. As for Haru, I'm not sure yet.

" **I'd like to see Haru crash into his life. I can still kind of see them in a situation where he saves her (although I imagine he'd probably try to kill himself in the process maybe) and she becomes infatuated."**

I'm not sure I can fit that into the story, but for the record, I love the idea.

Lovleydragonfly PM'd me but I'll be responding here (I asked first):

" **Before we Introduce any other guardians, Tsuna can get worse, horribly worse. Now I'm talking something pushes him over the edge and he does try to kill himself, or he starts secretly doing drugs/ drinking"**

He did almost do that, but that is as far as he will go. I can't fit anymore because of where this cliffhanger leads. You'll see why soon.

" **Depending on who you're wanting to introduce next start with those and get that out the way or just keep them forever gone. Like I have a horrible time writing Ryohei and Lambo and such. I simply can't."**

As I said, I introduced Kyoko partly so I can introduce Ryohei, so he'll probably be next. As for the other's, no plans yet. I have been struggling with Lambo in particular thought. He wasn't exactly the nicest to Tsuna, in fact, he was a complete brat and even attacked Tsuna from time to time. Cannon Tsuna shrugged it off because Lambo was five, But this Tsuna, he'd probably take it way. If anyone has any ideas for Lambo, please let me know.

" **Have Tsuna's first time using flames or he secretly knows how to use them already."**

Obviously, he will be using flames at some point, but I'm not sure when yet. I do have a few ideas no, he doesn't know how to use them yet.

" **Tsuna could find a cat or a baby lion and that literally keeps him grounded more that his guardians ever would."**

While I do find that cute, I'm not confident in my ability to write that. Not to mention I want the guardians to have a definite impact on Tsuna emotional state.

" **Have Tsuna get pulled from school and home tutored. That's the only thing I can see food happening."**

Unfortunately, I feel the need to keep him in school in order to meet the rest of his guardians. The being said, as you read, I have come up with another solution. Thanks Tsuyoshi.

" **Have the Mukuro ark early? YES PLZ! or just Mukuro interaction. Also, you can have Tsuna become closer to Mukuro and Chrome than anyone."**

Well, having it early is a question of what you define as early, as the events of the story are completely different. As for Tsuna becoming closer to Mukuro… THANK YOU! That is an idea I am totally using. I may not have Tsuna become closer to them than the other guardians, but definitely much closer than in canon. But thanks because if it wasn't for this suggestion I would have never thought of that.

Nekkoismyname PM"d me with an idea for a chapter that was already written. I'd like to release it but I'm still waiting for a response from them to give me an ok.

Other reviews I want to shout out are the six or so reviews that said you were or on the verge of crying. You have no idea how much it means to me that my writing was emotional enough to make you have such strong feelings.

Also, to my newest review from Vongola10… Here you go? So sorry it took so long.

Finally, I want to thank kuroneko nnch. If there's one thing I thought my writing would never do, it's change someone's life. Thanks for telling me.

Thank you all.


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